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August 7, 2014

Iraqi Christians Face Crisis as IS Advances; 40,000 Yazidis Trapped on Mountain 
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In northern Iraq, Sunni militants have reportedly captured the country's
largest Christian town, forcing tens of thousands to flee. The Islamic
State has advanced into Qaraqosh and other northern towns as Kurdish
forces withdraw. Speaking to the AFP, Joseph Thomas, the local Chaldean
archbishop, called for the U.N. Security Council to immediately
intervene in what he called a "catastrophe." Over the weekend, the
militants seized the town of Sinjar, forcing about 200,000 people to
flee, many of them members of the Yazidi religious minority. Up to
40,000 remain trapped on a barren mountain, surrounded by rebels and
slowly dying of thirst. A displaced resident described the conditions
there.

Abu Shaker: "Sinjar mountain has no water, no electricity, no roads, no
bread, not even a single green tree, nothing in it, nothing for humans
to eat. I received a call an hour ago from a relative there. They are
walking away and leaving the dead children behind."

 

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