Swedish Woman Accused of Treating Yazidi Women, Children 'as Slaves'
NewsweekSep 24
Yazidi Woman Freed From Gaza After 10-Year Captivity
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Above: Iraqi Yazidi women cry as they hold pictures of their victims and missing relatives during a ceremony in Chamishko camp, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, marking the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide. Image copyright: Ismael Adnan/Contributor/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The Facts
After being 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 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.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This hostage rescue is the clearest example of Western values and ambitions. As war rages in Gaza, the governments of the US, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan came together to save an innocent life. While groups like IS 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.
Establishment-critical narrative
The US and Israel are not the saviors of the Kurdish people. It was essentially Pres. George W. Bush who created IS, as he's the one who invaded Iraq, destabilized the country, and disbanded the Iraqi army, forcing half a million men into the hands of radical groups. And Israel, which relies heavily on Turkish oil, has allowed Turkey to commit genocide against the Kurds for years. None of these atrocities would've occurred if it weren't for the US-Israel war machine.
