Fawzia Sido, a young Yazidi woman, has revealed the horrifying details of her captivity under ISIS, where she and other prisoners were forced to eat the flesh of babies. She was taken from her home at just 11 years old during the Islamic State’s attack on her hometown of Sinjar in 2014.
Speaking to The Sun, Fawzia shared how, after days of starvation, she and other captives were given a meal of rice and meat by ISIS militants.It wasn’t until after they ate that the fighters informed them the meat was from babies. “We were so hungry, we just ate,” she said, recalling the terrible moment they realised the truth.
“They cooked rice and meat for us, and we ate despite the strange taste because we were so hungry. Afterwards, we all felt sick. Then, the IS fighters revealed their horrific act: ‘The meat was from the babies,’ Fawzia sai.
Fawzia was one of thousands of Yazidi women and children abducted by ISIS, many of whom were sold into slavery or forced into horrific conditions. After enduring years of violence and exploitation, her time in captivity finally ended in a covert rescue operation.
A secret mission coordinated by Israel, the United States, and Iraq successfully secured Fawzia’s release from Gaza. According to Reuters, the rescue involved close cooperation between Israel’s military and the US Embassy. Fawzia’s captor was reportedly killed during the conflict in Gaza, allowing her to escape. She was then transported through the Kerem Shalom Crossing into Israel, before travelling to Jordan and eventually reuniting with her family in Iraq.
Fawzia’s lawyer, Zemfira Dlovani, told The Sun that while Fawzia is now safe, the trauma of her decade-long captivity remains severe. She can only remember a fraction of her experiences due to the psychological scars inflicted by ISIS.
Since the 2014 Yazidi genocide, more than 3,500 Yazidis have been rescued or freed, but around 2,600 are still missing, with ongoing efforts to locate and rescue the remaining victims.