The Islamic State is said to have released more than 200 members of the Yazidi minority and two Christians. Yazidi elderly, women and children were held captive in northern Iraq for several months.
In January, the Islamic State transported more than 200 Yazidis, mostly elderly men and women in poor health, to the outskirts of Kirkuk without prior notice. The captives said they were held in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and the militant stronghold in the country.
The brutal Sunni group killed thousands of Yazidis after capturing the town of Sinjar in August 2014. Many died on the mountain of the same name, besieged by the militants. The plight of the Yazidi minority prompted the United States to launch an airstrike campaign to destroy the group.
