Angels and Demon

Carol Prunhuber  8/21/14

On August 3, militants of the Islamic State attacked the town of Sinjar, home of the Yezidis in northern Iraq, causing the flight of some 30,000 to 50,000 people. A stampede eventually attracted the attention of the international community on this humanitarian tragedy that began two months ago.
Given the fierce advance of IS jihadists and the occupation of Mosul, home to oil fields and the largest dam in Iraq, over 500,000 Iraqis fled seeking refuge in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Fortunately, since August 17 the Kurds have taken control of much of the dam.
Like medieval hordes, the jihadists occupied and terrorized towns and cities: they looted, recovered weapons abandoned by Iraqi troops and established their caliphate project. IS has obtained an enormous amount of money by selling antiquities and oil from Syrian and most recently also Iraqi oil-fields, selling oil on the black market. 
They receive about $ 1 million a day. In a Mosul bank, they found about $ 425 million – making them the richest terrorist group in the world. Their success and wealth has attracted global mercenaries, including Europeans.
In addition, Iraqi Sunnis have joined them. Sunni Arab neighbors, who until recently lived peacefully with other minorities, have become torturers and informers of Turkmen, Christians, Shiites, Yezidis and even moderate Sunni Arabs.
IS considers apostates and infidels other Islamic sects as well as other religions. Fueled by hatred, violence and the lust of conquest those who do not accept conversion are massacred.

"We are being exterminated under the banner of 'There is no God but Allah,'" cried Vian Dakhil, Yezidi parliamentarian, before the Iraqi parliament. "My family is being slaughtered ... An entire religion is being eliminated from the face of the earth. There are 30,000 families without food or water in the Sinjar Mountains. 70 children have died of thirst, 50 elders perished ... Please save us! " shouted this Congresswoman before collapsing. 
The Yezidis fled to the desolate mountain of Sinjar which they worship because they believe that the ark of Noah landed/settled here after the biblical flood sent by the Lord to cleanse the land of sinners. What an irony! Yezidis were persecuted by the Ottomans and then by Saddam Hussein. There are an estimated 600,000 Yezidis between Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. They are ethnically Kurds and their religion is syncretic with Sufi influence (Islam), Zoroastrian and Christian.
Some of the Yezidis arrested by the jihadists succeeded in hiding their phones and calling their relatives in Iraq and the USA, begging to be rescued. That is how a father learned that his daughter was going to be sold in the slave market for $10. Hundreds of women, often raped, have been sold as brides-slaves.
The images and stories that come to us are of terrorists executing and throwing into the river the bodies of young men, still with tears in their eyes knowing they were going to die; a photo of an Australian jihadist showing his young boy holding up the bloody head of an "infidel"; a man telling us that he had to leave on the dusty road the bodies of two brothers who succumbed to heat and thirst; stories of jihadists raping young women and then releasing them. When these girls reached their family, they begged to be killed. Unable to live with the disgrace, they threw themselves from the cliffs of the mountain. All these are the spoils of war—abduction of women, boys and children. 
According to the BBC, there are 1.2 million refugees seeking refuge in Kurdistan. With the support of American airstrikes, Kurdish peshmergas have been re-taking over village after village.
The United States and European countries have given military aid to the Kurds and sent humanitarian aid. But the crisis continues. Danger lurks and only an international coalition can eliminate this threat to Kurdistan, Iraq, neighboring countries and by extension to the West.
Bayan Sami Abdul-Rahman, representative of the Iraqi Kurdish government in London, told CNN that it was necessary to "create an international coalition and establish something like what happened in Iraq in 1991," when Saddam Hussein unleashed a massacre of  Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south.
This coalition then began Operation Provide Comfort and established a no-fly zone to protect the population from Hussein’s airstrikes. The coalition forces also supported and protected international humanitarian agencies so 2 million refugees could return to their homes.
For Bayan Sami Abdul-Rahman, representative of the Iraqi Kurdish government in London, declared to CNN that, IS is a threat not only to Iraq and its neighbors, but also for the West. "IS is an international terrorist organization ... We are not safe, it's everyone's problem… [Thinking that it’s not the West’s problem] is a misguided view…. [and] that intervention doesn’t work, but… people also need to realize that non-intervention also doesn’t not work. Look what’s happened in Syria, the West hasn’t intervened not properly, not in a timely way … in Iraq… intervention has a cost, but so does non-intervention," she said.
The Kurds are asking for security and humanitarian assistance. While the West debates whether or not to intervene, IS barbarism continues with public beheadings, mass executions, crucifixion and live burial of infidel women and children. 
Juan Luis Sotomayor, Catalan surgeon in Erbil, describes this situation to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. This shocking testimony is a dark and terrifying omen that the West need listen to.
"This is not a war against Christians, nor one between Sunni and Shiites," said the doctor. "This is a war of international terrorism against everyone ... They have one single purpose: to cause panic and overcome/succeed, nullifying any resistance. So far they have succeeded and if more international aid (military and humanitarian) does not come forth... they will continue to advance. . The war will be complete and the humanitarian crisis would reach levels hitherto unknown. "

This article originally wriiten by Carol Prunhuber for Spanish languge TalCual under the title Ángeles y demonios
Dr. Carol Prunhuber is an advisor to the Board of Directors of Iran Roundtable