Women in Qayyara still fear the outdoors, even though ISIS no longer controls the Iraqi town
QAYYARA, Iraq – Women in Qayyara are still afraid of wandering outdoors, even though the Islamic State (ISIS) militants who occupied and terrorized the town for two years are no more, routed by the Iraqi Army more than a week ago.
“ISIS imposed strict rules on women. We were not allowed even to show our eyes while outdoors,” said a veiled Qayyara resident who spoke to a Rudaw reporter in the town. “We were forced to be veiled and wear gloves, socks -- otherwise tough punishments would await us.”
ISIS is no longer in the town. But residents are still suffering from the aftermath of the occupation. The retreating militants set oil fields ablaze, which have been burning since, covering the town with thick, black smoke and some of its neighborhoods with tar-like burning crude.
Firefighters have been battling to bring the wall of fire at the oil wells under control.
Despite the misery the militants have left behind, women are especially happy that ISIS is no more.
“When ISIS was here we had to be fully veiled, covering our faces. Now that there is no ISIS here, we are free to remove the veils and be free,” said a smiling woman, a member of a family visited by Rudaw.
Residents said that, for married women who fell foul of the strict dress code for women, husbands would receive 100 lashes as punishment.
Another of the atrocities carried out by the militants against women was to force them into marriage, townsfolk said, rattling off many such cases.
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