Swedish Woman Accused of Treating Yazidi Women, Children 'as Slaves'
NewsweekSEP 12 2024
After she was abducted by ISIS ten years ago at the age of 11, a 21-year-old woman of the Yazidi religious minority group was freed from Gaza this week following a secret joint rescue mission conducted by the US, Israeli, and Iraqi governments.After she was abducted by the Islamic State (IS) ten years ago at the age of 11, a 21-year-old woman of the Yazidi religious minority group was freed from Gaza this week following a secret joint rescue mission conducted by the US, Israeli, and Iraqi governments.
The woman, Fawzia Sido, was kidnapped after ISIS took control of large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, killing 1.2K Kurdish-speaking Yazidis and enslaving thousands of women and girls—some were sold as sex slaves and others as child soldiers.The woman, Fawzia Sido, was kidnapped after IS took control of large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, killing 1.2K Kurdish-speaking Yazidis and enslaving thousands of women and girls—some were sold as sex slaves and others as child soldiers.
Sido was allegedly trafficked into Gaza by a Palestinian member of Hamas. After the man was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike, and with Sido being in contact with Iraqi officials for months, she fled to a hiding spot in the Gaza Strip.
This hostage rescue is the clearest example of Western values and ambitions. As war wagesrages in Gaza, the governments of the US, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan came together to save an innocent life no matter the cost. While groups like ISISIS and Hamas seek to terrorize and destroy, Israel and its allies push for a safer, more peaceful Middle East for everyone in the region. As many others remain captive in Gaza, hopefully, these governments will achieve freedom for each one of them.
The US and Israel are not the saviors of the Kurdish people. It was essentially Pres. George W. Bush who created ISISIS, as he's the one who invaded Iraq, destabalizeddestabilized the country, and disbanded the Iraqi army, forcing half a million men into the hands of radical groups. And Israel, who relies heavily on Turkish oil, has allowed Turkey to commit genocide against the Kurds for years. None of these atrocities would've occuredoccurred if it weren't for the US-Israel war machine.