Iraq: Yazidis still struggle in camps 12 years after Daesh's Sinjar occupation.

.DUHOK, IRAQ - AUG. 3, 2026: Twelve years after Daesh (ISIS) overran Sinjar in northern Iraq, many Yazidis, also called Ezidis, remain displaced in camps, unable to return home or rebuild their lives. Daesh's assault on Aug. 3, 2014, forced tens of thousands of Yazidis to flee the Sinjar district near Mosul. Thousands were killed, abducted or enslaved, including many women and children, while others were held in areas under the group's control. Many Yazidis have been unable to return since then because of ongoing security concerns, including the presence of the PKK in Sinjar, as well as widespread unemployment, damaged homes and inadequate infrastructure. The PKK established a foothold in the district in 2014, saying it was protecting the Yazidi community from Daesh. More than 100,000 Yazidis continue to live in displacement camps, including Sharya in Duhok province and Hasan Shami between Erbil and Duhok, where local and international aid organizations provide humanitarian assistance.