Yazidi Rescue Office: 3,595 abductees saved since 2014, 2,822 still missing

Yazidi women holding photos of victims of the August 2014 massacre carried out in the Sinjar region by ISIS terrorists. Photo: AFP Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Office for the Rescue of Abducted Yazidis released updated statistical figures on Saturday, November 14, 2026, detailing the ongoing fate of Yazidi victims abducted by ISIS since the 2014 Sinjar genocide. According to the latest data, 3,595 abductees have been successfully rescued to date, while the fate of 2,822 individuals remains unknown. In an official statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Office Director Hussein Qaidi confirmed that ISIS militants abducted a total of 6,417 Yazidis during their August 2014 assault on Sinjar and its surrounding villages. Qaidi noted that over half of the 2,822 individuals still unaccounted for are women and girls, alongside a substantial number of children who were forcibly separated from their families and indoctrinated. Addressing the geographic distribution of the missing, Qaidi highlighted that the majority of recent rescues took place inside Syria, indicating that significant numbers of unaccounted-for Yazidis remain inside Syrian territory—particularly within the sprawling Al-Hol detention camp—as well as among ISIS-affiliated families inside Iraq. He also noted that authorities have not ruled out the possibility that some victims were trafficked beyond the borders of Iraq and Syria. Qaidi reaffirmed that intelligence tracking and field rescue operations remain active, noting that specialized teams immediately verify and act upon incoming tips across various regions, with primary operational focus currently directed toward Syria to locate and repatriate remaining survivors.