Regarding this massacre, the survivor Kori Khalaf Ali (born 1968) spoke to us. Four members of her family were martyred in the 2007 car bombing attacks, including her husband. Kori is a mother of four daughters. After her husband’s death, she chose to raise her daughters and never remarry. Today, after the ISIS invasion, she has lost all four of her daughters, and many of her relatives were killed at the hands of the organization. She recounted her suffering and tragedy to us:
"At 6:00 AM on August 3, 2014, we left Tel Aziz for wells about 7 km away. We heard the sounds of gunfire. ISIS militants attacked us with a car; there were seven of them. Our men raised white flags. They told us, 'Do not be afraid; the men must hand over the weapons and mobile phones in their possession.' So, they surrendered the weapons and phones. Then they demanded our money and gold, and we gave it to them. Then they said, 'The older women must go into one room, and women under forty with the girls in another room, because we need to speak with the men.' We followed their orders.
After fifteen minutes, three of our men entered one room, while the other three remained in the courtyard, and the seventh was near the car. Not even half an hour passed before they opened fire on one of our men near his car. Then they entered the other room, and we heard the sound of gunfire from inside and the screams of our men. All the women were screaming in the tightly locked rooms. Then they shot the rest of our men in the courtyard. This is how they carried out their crime against the Al-Kharou family, leaving no adult men alive except for the survivor Jamil Jatto Kharou (born 1965) from Tel Aziz, who happened to be in Duhok as a taxi driver on the Tel Aziz–Duhok route during the gruesome massacre by the terrorists."
List of Martyrs:
Ato Jado Kharou (1951)
Khalil Jado Kharou (1968)
Barakat Mahmoud Kharou (1969)
Mirza Mahmoud Kharou (1979)
Murad Mahmoud Kharou (1975)
Farhan Barakat Kharou (1992)
Sami Jando Kharou (1993)
Farman Barakat Mahmoud Kharou (1990)
Sabri Ato Jado Kharou (1981)
Abdo Sabri Ato Jado Kharou (1990)
Salem Sabri Ato Jado Kharou (1995)
Aishan Sharaf Ajool (1974)
Kori continued: "As a result of our screaming, they opened the door for us, and we were stunned to see that they had exterminated our men. Then they forced the women [into vehicles]..."
[Additional Names Listed]:
Nazdar Murad Mahmoud Kharou (1997)
Samira Mirza Mahmoud Kharou (1999)
Nadia Ismail Hassan (2000)
Suad Dawood Jatto Kharou (1998)
Talwan Dawood Jatto Kharou (2000)
Seifi Haji Elias (1995)
Ahlam Hassan Sido (1996)
Khalida Obeid Khader (1996)
Samia Jando (who had returned from Fallujah a few days prior)
Infants:
Burhan Qasim Hamid (4 months), Mother: Khalida Sharif
Hani Hadi Ato (1 year), Mother: Shammi Elias Rasho
Maher Ato (10 days old, born 23/7/2014), Mother: Ahlam Hassan Sido
ئایا گۆڕانی دیمۆگرافیای کوردستان بە مەترسی دەزانیت؟
بەشداری لەم ڕاپرسییەی دامەزراوەی ڤیم بکە و دەنگت بگەیەنە.
بۆ بەشداریکردن کلیک لەسەر ئەم لینکەی خوارەوە بکە:
https://forms.gle/ZFx2KeYxtzsRRnNv6
Dr. Mahmoud Mardini stated in a radio interview on the program "Caravan" on November 8, 2017, that the Ottoman Archive spans from the year 1299 to 1924, a period of approximately 725 years. This archive contains about 500 million documents, manuscripts, and books, including 950 documents related to the Yazidis, which contain fatwas (religious decrees) legalizing the killing of Yazidis. These documents also mention Yazidi tribes, their way of life, and the Lalesh Temple.
He stated that he obtained these documents, which are written in Old Ottoman, and they require accurate and recognized translation. After being translated into several languages, including Arabic, English, and German, they are to be notarized to become internationally recognized official documents.
He also mentioned that there are documents concerning the Armenians, yet many major powers have not recognized that genocide due to a lack of sufficient documentation. Based on his experience as an employee in the Ottoman Archive, he notes that some claim the number of firmans (Ottoman royal decrees) is 72, but this number refers to the period between 1514 and 1917, with the final Ottoman firman led by Ibrahim Pasha against Sinjar, Sheikhan, Bashiqa, and Bahzani. However, he notes that the number cited by the Yazidis is that there were 360 genocide campaigns against them.
The title of the book he authored is Yazidism and the Memory of Tragedies: A Testimony to History, which consists of 1,500 pages in A4 format. The book covers customs, traditions, and history so that Turks, Arabs, and Persians may know that Yazidism is a monotheistic religion that predates Abrahamic religions. The book is set to be translated into several languages.
He says that some Arab writers, such as Abdul Razzaq Al-Hasani, Abbas Al-Azzawi, and others, were unjust toward the Yazidis and that their writings contributed to the recent genocide. He also mentions that when a foreign journalist asked him about the recent 2014 genocide, he replied, "Leave this genocide aside, and come with me to the caves of Mount Sinjar, where there are the bones of Yazidi children and women who were burned."
He points out that the first fatwa for the extermination of the Yazidis was issued in 1560 by the Mufti Abu Saud al-Imadi.
This is a post to highlight the humanitarian work being carried out by the Free Women’s Foundation in Rojava. They are currently providing essential support for women and children in the region, including the operation of the Keska Sora Orphanage in Kobani, which offers a safe home, education, and care for children orphaned by conflict.
While there are many different perspectives on the political and ideological situation in the region, this is an appeal strictly based on humanitarian grounds. This effort is focused solely on the welfare of vulnerable children who are in need of basic necessities and stability.
How to help:
Donations made through WJAS Germany go directly toward providing food, education, and healthcare for these children. Every contribution, regardless of size, provides tangible support for those in the orphanage.
Learn more and donate here: https://wjas.org/en/home-2/
Thank you for your time and for considering the needs of these children.