Earlier this month, fighters of the Islamic State (IS) kidnapped around 300 women as part of their siege on the Yazidi community. Now the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is claiming to have confirmed that at least 27 Yazidi women have been sold to the jihadist fighters for around $1000 each. Everything continues to be awful.
According to reports, the women, who follow Yazidi religious traditions, were forced to convert to Islam. Some people attempted to buy the a few women for the purpose of setting them free, but the women were only to be sold to fighters. Via AFP:
"In recent weeks, some 300 women and girls of the Yazidi faith who were abducted in Iraq have been distributed as spoils of war to fighters from the Islamic State," a statement said.
…"The Observatory documented at least 27 cases of those being sold into marriage by Islamic State members in the north-east of Aleppo province, and parts of Raqqa and Hassakeh province," SOHR said.
…The Observatory said it was unclear what had happened to the rest of the 300 women, and strongly denounced the "sale of these women who are being treated as though they are objects to buy and sell".
Both UN officials and Yazidis fleeing IS advances in Iraq have said fighters kidnapped women to be sold into forced marriages.
Meanwhile, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein has called out President Obama for being "too cautious" regarding his indecisive approach to the Islamic State's growing violence and presence.
Image via Getty.