Kurdish-Led Troops Free 140 Yezidis as Part of Anti-Daesh Operation - YPJ

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has freed 140 Yezidis, most of whom were women and children, during an operation against the Daesh terrorist organization, outlawed in Russia, targeting the Syrian city of Raqqa, a spokeswoman for the Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ) said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over recent years, Daesh has occupied vast parts of both Syria and Iraq, including the cities of Raqqa. as well as territories inhabited by the Yezidis, an ethnically Kurdish religious community. The jihadists have been known to kill Yezidi men and boys and to enslave the ethnic group's women and girls.

"Operation Wrath of Euphrates was launched to avenge the Yezidi women. Our forces have rescued many women from the gangs during this campaign," Nesrin Abdullah said, speaking about 140 Yezidis, including 70 women and 64 children, as quoted by the Kurdish Firat news agency.

She added that the SDF had recently freed another three women, who had already been sent to the Kurdish-controlled Jazira Canton.

"As the YPJ, we will fulfill our promise to rescue all Yezidi women held captive by ISIS [Daesh] gangs," the spokeswoman added.