Remembering Qahtaniya, 2007 and 2014: Suad’s Story of Survival

In a single moment, four trucks loaded with explosives caused a massive explosion that devastated the streets of Qahtaniya in 2007, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries. The terrorist organization Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. The pain of that day resembled what happened in August 2014, when ISIS took over the Sinjar district, bringing death and darkness to Qahtaniya once again, and destroying what was once a beautiful life there.

A family left without a provider

This became the reality for many families in Qahtaniya after the large explosion that shook the city. Among them was Suad Dawood Jeto, who lost her father, her only brother, six sisters, and her mother, leaving those remaining in her family without a provider. With no one to help and everyone around them struggling, smiles disappeared, giving way to sorrow and pain. The days of comfort were gone, replaced by deprivation and grief. Suad dropped out of middle school and, along with her younger sister, started a small beauty salon to make a living. 

Years later, when ISIS took control of Sinjar, her situation only worsened. She and more than forty family members fell under the extremists' rule, who killed and kidnapped many of her relatives, and caused unimaginable suffering for the women.

Killing, kidnapping, and terror

Suad's newfound happiness with her budding business didn't last long. Just one year after opening the salon, on the morning of August 13, 2014, ISIS attacked the Qahataniya complex. Terrified, Suad and her family could see their grim fate approaching like a nightmare. Suad’s family, now made up entirely of women, fled to seek refuge with their uncle, who quickly took the children to a farm eight kilometers away. While they made a valiant attempt to escape the terrorists, their efforts were in vain. Four armed vehicles carrying ISIS fighters surrounded the farm, firing their weapons before closing in and turning their nightmare into a tragic reality.

Betrayal and separation

The true nature of these terrorists was revealed—they had broken covenants borne of kinship. Many of them had lived alongside the Yazidi community, sharing their lives, but blind fanaticism and deep envy drove them to tear apart Suad's family of fifty relatives. The women under thirty were separated from the men, while the elderly women and children were left behind. Suad was among those abducted in broad daylight, along with her sister and cousins, after being brutally beaten and humiliated. Despite having little to their name, all their belongings and money were stolen.

The path to captivity

A road paved with injustice began in her home of Qahataniya and led into the unknown, passing through Tal Afar, where they endured two weeks of hunger. Neither prayers nor tears made a difference, as their captors were as ruthless as the desert's heat. These invaders had no religion and were unmoved by cries of pain. Suad prayed for death rather than the loss of her dignity, but fate had other plans. After two weeks, they were taken in large buses to Mosul, where they were held in a wedding hall for a month. The treatment they received became more severe with each passing day, leading one of Suad's relatives to commit suicide. The captives sank into depression, especially as the true motive behind their abduction became increasingly clear.

The final stop before being sold

It felt like something out of the Middle Ages—being sold and enslaved. They were moved again to a large three-story house that had once belonged to a Christian family but had been seized by ISIS. This was their last stop in Iraq. The captors paraded the female prisoners in front of men they called "sheikhs and princes." A doctor, covered in a niqab, examined the women to distinguish virgins from non-virgins. Suad was among those chosen, and this was the last time she saw her sister and cousins, who were also sold to other militants.

The wars of conquest

With shouts of "Allahu Akbar" and gunfire, Abu Sayyaf Al-Iraqi and his aides were greeted as they traveled from Mosul to Raqqa and then to Al-Shaddadi. A hardliner in his forties, Abu Sayyaf bought Suad and three other women, enslaving them with the help of his wife, who was just as cruel and vile as he was. The women were subjected to servitude and at times, sexual assault.

A failed escape

After a year of hard labor and sexual abuse, Suad and two other captive women set their minds to escaping. One day, taking advantage of a moment of distraction on the part of Abu Sayyaf's wife, they made a run for it, dreaming of freedom. They knocked on one family's door, but were turned away. Another family offered them shelter, giving them a glimmer of hope. But that hope was quickly shattered by betrayal when the family reported them to ISIS. Enraged, Abu Sayyaf arrived with iron shackles. The women were beaten, dragged back, and starved, forced to return to a seemingly doomed fate with no escape in sight.

Life goes on

The most remarkable thing about Yazidi women is their patience and determination to survive, which they used as a form of revenge against those who sought to destroy their dignity. Suad is one of these strong women who resisted the invaders, surviving despite being sold five times and enduring unimaginable suffering. 

Finally, the day came when ISIS was surrounded and defeated. As fear and confusion gripped the terrorists, Suad escaped with an unknown family to Baghouz, the last ISIS stronghold. From there, she surrendered to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who eventually brought her back to the Yazidi community. Today, everyone awaits justice, hoping that those responsible for these crimes will face the consequences and tremble with fear at the thought of divine retribution.

The mirror of fear

Whenever Suad looks into her mirror, which was returned to her after years of sorrow and grief, memories of beautiful days come rushing back—days when she was cherished by her father and brother, who were her support and strength. She still searches for the ghosts of her loved ones, whose fate remains unknown. Suad has grown fearful of loss, even though there is no one left to lose. A sense of security isn't something one can simply switch on, and in its absence, fear and deprivation have become her constant companions. It's as if Suad's mirror reflects back on her with a fundamental question: what will the future bring? Even though she has joined a new family, her face still bears a lingering confusion—why all this pain? What did her family do to deserve the world’s wrath, which brought them death instead of a gentle breeze?

In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, Nadia’s Initiative is sharing a series of survivor stories to highlight the impact of the genocide at an individual level. While these stories are harrowing, they shine a light on the incredible resilience of survivors.