Kurdish pershmerga forces prepare escape route for Yazidis trapped on Sinjar
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Version 0 of 1. Kurdish peshmerga forces were on Friday preparing to rescue thousands of Yazidis who have been besieged since August by Islamic State (Isis) militants on Iraq’s Sinjar mountain. Political leaders hailed a victory over Isis as an offensive launched on Wednesday rapidly opened a corridor to the estimated 7,000 to 10,0000 members of the religious minority and made further gains on Friday. Commanders said fighters were working to secure the route down the mountain before the evacuation could begin. “This is the biggest victory against Isis since the beginning of the war. We have managed to open a corridor so the people stuck on the mountain can reach safety,” said Masrur Barzani, the head of Kurdistan’s national security council. When Isis attacked Sinjar in early August, the peshmerga forces withdrew leaving the Yazidi population at the mercy of Isis fighters who consider them devil worshippers. Thousands were killed or captured and sold into slavery and the rest fled up the mountain to escape. While most Yazidis have reached safety in Kurdistan, about 7000-10000 Yazidis have been stuck in the mountains and not able to reach safety. A source within the Kurdistan security council said the evacuation was “imminent” and there was no threat of an Isis counterattack, but the peshmerga forces wanted to ensure the path was clear of mines and explosives before they began bringing people down. Qasem Shevan, a commander of a Yazidi armed group on top of Sinjar mountain, confirmed a path had been opened but he said no Yazidis had reached safety yet. “The people are still … waiting for the peshmerga to secure the path completely.” Kurdish officials on Thursday said more than 100 Isis militants had been killed in the offensive so far. In the village of Koban, east of the Sinjar area, the Guardian saw seven bodies. A peshmerga officer with a brand new German automatic rifle said they were Isis fighters killed by machine gun fire from coalition aircraft. Peshmerga forces have also sustained casualties, although Kurdish officials would not disclose the number. In the nearby town of Qasr Rejii, a peshmerga convoy was hit by a suicide bomber in a car on Wednesday evening leaving a big crater in the middle of the road and killing at least seven peshmerga. Last week, the peshmerga ministry announced that, since the beginning of the fighting against Isis in early June, 727 peshmerga had lost their lives and more than 3500 had been injured. Naktal Faisal, a 33-year-old peshmerga volunteer, said, without the airstrike, the peshmerga would not be able to free the areas near Zumar. The coalition forces launched about 45 air strikes against Isis militants on Wednesday when the operation started, destroying Isis positions. Barzani said:“The coalition’s assistance has been very helpful in the recent victory against the enemies of coexistence.” |