U.S. air strike killed Islamic State 'sex slave facilitator' in Iraq
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 23 September 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, U.S. air strike killed Islamic State 'sex slave facilitator' in Iraq, 23 September 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/561d04a59.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 23, 2015
Coalition forces killed a senior leader of the Islamic State group in an air strike in Iraq, the Pentagon said on September 22.
Abu Bakr al-Turkmani, who died September 10 in a strike in Tal Afar in northern Iraq, was a "slave facilitator" who had been involved in the sexual trafficking of Yazidi minority women, a U.S. defense official told AFP.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook called Turkmani an "administrative emir" and "close associate" of IS leaders in Iraq and said he was part of Al-Qaeda in Iraq before joining IS.
The Yazidis, a religious minority which lives mainly in Iraq's northern Sinjar region, are neither Muslims nor Arabs and follow a unique faith. They are considered infidels by the militants.
In 2014, IS massacred Yazidis, forced tens of thousands of them to flee, captured thousands of girls and women as spoils of war, and used them as sex slaves.
The United Nations has said the atrocities committed against the small community may amount to genocide.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
