Yezidi Genocide Timeline
ISIS attacks Sinjar in the early hours of the morning, following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces which protected the district. Hundreds of thousands of Yezidis flee to Sinjar mountain, where they spend more than a week trapped with no food or water. Hundreds die in the summer heat or are forced to leave relatives behind as they climb to safety.
US President Barack Obama authorizes targeted airstrikes to ‘end siege’ on Mount Sinjar and ‘prevent a potential act of genocide.’ By this point, thousands of Yezidis had already been killed and thousands more taken captive by ISIS.
Syrian Kurdish forces create a safety corridor, allowing Yezidis stranded on Mount Sinjar to seek safety. After passing through northeast Syria, more than 100,000 arrive in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where most continue to live in IDP camps to this day.
Obama announces end to humanitarian air drops on Mount Sinjar.
The Free Yezidi Foundation is registered in the Netherlands.
