Kakais, Arkan Rostam, 50, and his nephew Noor Bahjati, 19, returned to Kurdistan after having lived in Sweden. Rostam lived in the Raparin district of Sulaimani and had a fish farm and sand factory in Kobane village near Topzawa in Daquq, south of Kirkuk city.
“My brother was a worker. He did not have any issues. ISIS kidnapped my brother Arkan, my nephew Noor and someone else named Nizar Omer who was an acquaintance of my brother on December 25 last year. But since Nizar was a Sunni, he was released the next day,” Arkan’s brother, Alan Rostam, told Rudaw.
It is not clear when they were executed.
It was rumored that Arkan, had been abducted for being Shiite, but his brother dismissed the claims saying “our family is Kakai and we practice it.”
Rudaw reached out to Omer, but due to threats on his life, he declined to comment.
“My brother and nephew became victims of religion and their sect which was Kakai. Like many other Kakais, due to their religious beliefs, they were killed by ISIS militants," Alan Rostam said.
Noor and Arkan’s families were consumed with sadness for five months because of the lack of news of their relatives' whereabouts. They were shocked to see the ISIS execution video. Their psychological conditions have deteriorated.
Alan who lives in Sweden said once they heard that his brother and nephew had died, they held a funeral there.
He added “my father was executed by the Baathist regime. Another brother is an Anfal victim. They are another part of the sacrifices that we faced in our family over being Kakai.”
The Kakais are a Kurdish ethno-religious group. Their ancient faith is not recognized by the Iraqi government, so they are considered Muslim.
“A number of ISIS militants in Iraqi Federal Police uniforms had gone to the fish farm. The militants had asked them for food warned that they had to go with them, so they were kidnapped,” Rajab Asi Kakai, an activist, told Rudaw.
The activist claimed “it was true that Arkan was a Kakai, but he had converted to Shiite. Arkan had himself many times said that he was a Shiite. I have information that today [Shiite] Hashd al-Shaabi in Tuz Khurmatu had held a funeral for him as a sign of respect for Arkan.”
The lack of security in areas surrounding Kirkuk is what upsets the Kakai activist.
“What really makes us sad is that in the Daquq area, where there were 12 Kakai villages, all are now empty. There is no longer security in the area," he added.
Rajab Asi Kakai said there were Peshmerga, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Kakai regiments in the area previously.
“The Iraqi forces and Hashd al-Shaabi cannot provide security for the people of the region from ISIS threats; therefore, we have asked the UN to reach out to the people of the area and put an end to the ISIS threats,” said Kakai
Although Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared ISIS defeated in Iraq in December 2017, remnants of the group have carried out sporadic hit and run attacks in and around Kirkuk.
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