Remembering the Victims of the ISIS Massacre in Tal Afar

Today marks a significant step in honoring and remembering the thousands of Yazidi and Shiite lives brutally taken by ISIS in one of the darkest chapters in recent history. 

In the summer of 2014, ISIS launched devastating attacks in Iraq, leading to the massacre of thousands, particularly targeting Yazidis in Sinjar and Shiites in Tal Afar. Among the most horrific atrocities was the mass killing at Alo Antar in the town of Tal Afar, where 1,500-2,000 were murdered, including women and children, and subsequently buried in a mass grave. According to eyewitnesses, ISIS took all the Yazidi women, young boys, and men who were in captivity in Tal Afar at the end of April in 2015, shot them, and put their bodies in the mass grave.

After nearly a decade of anguish, families of the victims are witnessing the opening of this mass grave. 

This moment is a solemn reminder of the resilience of the Yazidi and Shiite communities. As the mass grave is opened over the next 3-4 months, we stand in solidarity with the families and honor the memory of the victims.