At least 430,000 Kurdish Yezidis displaced by IS: reportOctober 9, 2015 - 15:34 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - At least 430,000 Kurdish Yezidis have been driven out of their homes since August 2014 by the Islamic State, a new report by the Kurdistan Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Victims has found, according to Rudaw. More than half of the displaced Yezidis have taken shelter in refugee camps in Kurdish areas, the report said. ISIS militants attacked the predominantly Yezidi town of Shingal on August 1, 2014, triggering a grim humanitarian crisis as thousands of locals fled to Mount Shingal where they were trapped for weeks. “At least 75 % of the refugees from Shingal fled to the mountain when the militants attacked the city,” Muhammad Haji Salih, Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Victims, told a gathering in Garmiyan on Thursday at the opening of a conference on genocide. Salih said the remains of 400 Yezidi men were found in a mass grave in Kojo village where they had been executed. The report also confirmed that 1,800 Yezidis had been killed and more than 5,000 women and children had been abducted by the militants. It said that more than 600 children and elderly people died in the mountains while fleeing the ISIS, Rudaw says. Salih also said that 14 Yezidi Shrines, some dating back thousands of years, had completely been demolished by the militants. Photo. AP Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. Aliyev says no need for mediators in Armenia-Azerbaijan process Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev believes that Baku and Yerevan do not mediators in the process of normalizing relations. Aram I supports Karekin II’s “patriotic position” Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I has expressed support for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. |