Kurdistan

KRG asks for help freeing Yezidi children brainwashed by ISIS

By Rudaw 15/2/2017

Khairi Botani, head of the KRG’s Yezidi affairs office. Photo: Rudaw video

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has urged the international community to help children who have been subjected to years of brainwashing and military training by ISIS after the extremist group released a propaganda video claiming to depict two Yezidi suicide bombers. The head of the KRG’s Yezidi affairs office described the children as “time bombs,” saying that they pose a threat to the world.

"Unfortunately, we several times through the media have urged the world that they are like time bombs, if they are not defused they will explode in Europe or somewhere else. Therefore we have asked for many times to help them escape even if it is through particular operations,” said Khairi Botani.

"These children are actually brainwashed and so far 10 of them have been sent to Germany in accordance with a joint program between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the German government to receive physiological treatment in order to bring them back to their normal life," he added.

Botani made his comments in response to a new ISIS propaganda video purportedly showing two Yezidi boys carry out suicide attacks.

Two Yezidi boys appeared in the 30 minutes long video, speaking in Kurdish. The two are brothers from Shingal. In the video, they recalled the time when they were in Shingal, saying that they had been living in ignorance and worshiping Satan, but after studying under ISIS they converted to Islam and registered their names as suicide bombers.

The video ends with footage of two apparent car bombs, reportedly being driven by the two boys. It is not clear as to who they targeted and where it took place.

Speaking about the video footage, Botani told Rudaw that more than 1,000 Yezidi children are still being trained by ISIS at their military bases in Iraq and Syria.

"To our knowledge, more than 1,000 Yezidi children are being trained by ISIS. They indoctrinate them in the Islamic Sharia and Jihad theoretically and practically. And they also teach them the means of killing and how to carry out suicide attacks practically," said Botani.

He added that his office has so far been able to rescue 13 of these children.

Comments

12 Brz Suli | 15/2/2017

Zionists created ISIS and they also work against Kurdish independence. Israel always supplied weapons to enemy of Kurds Saddam Turkey Shah regime. All unmanned drones Turkey uses against Kurds are made in Israel.

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5 Muraz Adzhoev | 15/2/2017

To be heard by the international community Kurdistan should declare and establish its own sovereign statehood in accordance with the historically justified national and political and cultural will, democratic social nature of the Kurdish People. More deeds and less words, more actions and less statements to be reunited and reintegrated in defeating forces and ideologies of radicalism, extremism and terrorism, in fighting and struggling for freedom and independence of the People of Southern Kurdistan and Western Kurdistan from deadly failed Iraqi and Syrian anti-Kurdish criminal regimes.

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5 ako | 15/2/2017

ok no time for emotional speeches. provide them with basic needs. try to regain some of their trust. medical tests. get them back to school and have them resocialise with rest of society (not easy because of religious social tension etc). arrange meetings and events where they get chance to reconnect with reality through movies, books, video games etc.. some of these kids hopefully grow and become strong individuals, but many will also have difficulties catching up with themselves. its not a money or financial issues. its a human tragedy and very time consuming. thats why its called genocide.

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0 Jay | 17/2/2017

Yazidi Children are half brainwashed by Isis and the other half by PKK, there must be a reason behind that, is it their lack of ingenuity, lack of associations with their faith. As for Brz Suli; what kind of rubbish statement is that, Zionists are probably the only friends to Kurds, so read a little, enlighten before making dump statements. Isis was created by hardline islamists, the likes of Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and in case you don't know they are the real muslems, in the time of Mohammad they used the same methods Isis is using now.

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Tags : Yezidi, suicide bombers, child soldiers, KRG

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