1

00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,040

How are you?

 

2

00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:06,160

Some of her children have starved

to death, so she can't talk.

 

3

00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:36,200

Two of her children died and

her husband is missing.

 

4

00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:43,000

We left behind everything we had.

These are my children.

 

5

00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:47,120

We cannot afford to rent accommodation.

We are now refugees.

 

6

00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:52,160

They're still in a better situation

than many others.

 

7

00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,080

Either kill us, or let us

cross the border so we can go abroad.

 

8

00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:05,120

Let us flee to Christian countries.

It's not safe here, they will kill us.

 

9

00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,200

We ask the world for help,

and hope they hear us.

 

10

00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,240

One guy screamed for help.

His wife starved to death.

 

11

00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:15,240

When I got there, she was already dead -

 

12

00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:21,040

- but her baby was still

suckling at her breast.

 

13

00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:25,000

It can't get any worse.

What more can I say?

 

14

00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:31,160

In the Birîn Valley alone,

more than 170 people have died.

 

15

00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,200

We are Caliphate soldiers.

 

16

00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,240

We will take over the whole world

with God's help.

 

17

00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,240

The advance of the militant Islamist

movement ISIS shocked the world.

 

18

00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,080

First they took Iraq's second largest city,

Mosul, encountering little resistance.

 

19

00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:05,040

The town is now said to be devoid of Christians

who have lived there for thousands of years.

 

20

00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:10,000

Next to fall was Shengal Province,

where the Yazidis were hardest hit.

 

21

00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:15,160

A vulnerable and isolated people. Their crime?

They are not Muslims.

 

22

00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:20,120

The Shengali people fled first into the mountains,

then here, to Southern Kurdistan.

 

23

00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:23,120

They have lost children,

siblings and parents.

 

24

00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:27,240

Many see no future:

nothing to live for.

 

25

00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,160

She weeps not because she is hungry.

 

26

00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,000

She has gone barefoot for several days

 

27

00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:49,160

and has blisters in her

nose and mouth.

 

28

00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:55,000

This man has been sleeping on the hard ground

for four days, and wonders where help will come from.

 

29

00:03:56,240 --> 00:04:01,040

These people have just arrived,

but don't know where to go.

 

30

00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,160

What does it say on your banner?

 

31

00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:41,200

I don't know. The Americans should know.

 

32

00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:46,080

It's enough! We need help!

We are all dying!

 

33

00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:50,200

If we return to Iraq, we will

go through the same hell.

 

34

00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:56,040

We are starving and thirsty.

We left the sick at home.

 

35

00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,200

Thousands of children are

still in Shengal.

 

36

00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:05,120

Our dead are not buried.

Their remains clutter the roadside.

 

37

00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:10,000

Please send help to Shengal!

 

38

00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:23,160

We left my sick brother behind. We don't

know if he has starved to death.

 

39

00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:28,000

My sister and her four children

died during the escape.

 

40

00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:30,080

Much has befallen us Yezidis.

 

41

00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:35,160

I just want to be free from Iraq

and help those who are left behind.

 

42

00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:40,240

Who has caused this?

 

43

00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:47,000

I don't know. Everyone says that IS have

exposed us to this, that they did this to us.

 

44

00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:51,200

I am 18 years old and newly married.

I am not enjoying my new life.

 

45

00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:54,080

My whole family have been left behind.

 

46

00:05:55,160 --> 00:06:00,040

This is Besma, who married two days

before IS attacked her village.

 

47

00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:05,040

That day she was visiting her parents to tell them

how happy she was with her new husband.

 

48

00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:10,120

I was at home with my parents

When we were forced to flee.

 

49

00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:15,080

Many in my family have been murdered.

Our girls were sold for 1,000 dinars.

 

50

00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:19,000

They have wiped us out.

We don't want Iraq - let them take it

 

51

00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:24,000

-Where is your husband?

-He is stuck in the mountains with no help.

 

52

00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:29,040

-Have you spoken to him?

-No, I haven't been able to reach him.

 

53

00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:47,200

Why is no-one helping us?

 

54

00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:54,000

Women and children are sold at markets.

It's inhumane.

 

55

00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,040

IS is not like other guerrilla groups.

 

56

00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:01,120

They are supported by an effective administration

which manages financing, recruitment,

 

57

00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:05,160

and military operations.

 

58

00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:11,080

Some are former officers from

Saddam Hussein's dissolved army.

 

59

00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:16,160

Saddam's daughter has explicitly

stated that she supports IS.

 

60

00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:23,040

But IS is not only made up of Iraqis, but also Syrians,

Saudis, Chechens, Europeans, and others.

 

61

00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:29,160

The US-led invasion of Iraq gave rise to an

Islamist movement with roots in al-Qaeda.

 

62

00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,200

They honed their combat skills

fighting the Americans.

 

63

00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:38,040

They are a mix of terrorists and soldiers.

 

64

00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:44,000

They are able to co-ordinate operations over large areas,

and are capable of holding territory.

 

65

00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,040

Their money most likely comes from oil fields captured in

northern Syria, and possibly sponsorship from Gulf States

 

66

00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:54,080

as well as fees from smuggling,

and extortion of local companies.

 

67

00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:58,120

We don't want to be tortured any more.

We have been through unimaginable horrors.

 

68

00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,160

We have asked for weapons.

Women can also fight.

 

69

00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:07,160

Is it not a crime that women

have been exposed to this?

 

70

00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:12,000

They have kidnapped three of my children.

Is that not inhumane?

 

71

00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:17,200

-How old are your children?

-12, 8 and 6.

 

72

00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,160

I weep for the other Yazidi children.

 

73

00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:29,040

-When was the last time you heard from your children?

-Once, on the phone after the attack.

 

74

00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:31,120

Do you know if they are alive?

 

75

00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:36,240

I don't know. I can't get hold of them

so how am I supposed to know?

 

76

00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:40,000

-Can you sleep at night?

-No, I can't.

 

77

00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,160

If only I could get a weapon,

I'd be the first to fight.

 

78

00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:45,160

We women can defend ourselves.

 

79

00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:50,160

We will fight for the children and the elderly

who are in the hands of IS.

 

80

00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:56,960

We cannot sleep, eat, or drink.

We live in sorrow.

 

81

00:08:57,040 --> 00:09:00,080

-Where is the children's father?

-He is also still there.

 

82

00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,040

Was he captured by IS?

 

83

00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:09,120

I don't know if he is in prison or dead.

Last time I heard he was in the mountains.

 

84

00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:14,240

Yazidis are often described

as the original Kurds.

 

85

00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,000

They have their own religion: Yazidism.

 

86

00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:23,240

IS has condemned it as devil worship,

and set about eradicating it.

 

87

00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:29,160

Fearing for their lives, many Yazidis

and Muslim Kurds fled into the mountains.

 

88

00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:36,080

Then, after several days without food and water,

continued on-foot into Syria.

 

89

00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:41,000

There, they were assisted by Kurdish guerrilla forces

to head further north

 

90

00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:46,160

eventually crossing into Southern Kurdistan.

Many were left behind.

 

91

00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,160

News about IS attacks spread around the world.

 

92

00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,160

35-year-old Swedish-Kurdish filmmaker,

Hogir Hirori, says goodbye to his pregnant wife

 

93

00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:08,200

and sets off for Kurdistan.

 

94

00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:29,200

This is the country I left 15 years ago.

 

95

00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:33,080

My parents and siblings still live here.

 

96

00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:37,040

Today, I'm on my way

to my hometown, Duhok.

 

97

00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:41,120

My father has joined the

the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

 

98

00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:47,160

Thousands of Kurds are on the run

from Islamic State persecution.

 

99

00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:56,200

I'm not going to talk about my dad today -

though I'm very proud of him.

 

100

00:10:56,200 --> 00:11:01,040

Nor my siblings, or my mum, who still live

comfortably at home.

 

101

00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:06,200

I will talk about the refugees.

People who have not chosen their fate.

 

102

00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:16,200

I was born in 1937.

 

103

00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:21,000

-How many children do you have?

-Seven daughters and two sons.

 

104

00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:28,120

Here is my daughter-in-law and my wife.

Her blood pressure is 200 now.

 

105

00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:35,200

There was no road, so my sons had to carry us

through the mountains on their backs.

 

106

00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,200

I am disabled.

We've both had heart attacks.

 

107

00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:41,200

She's not doing well at all.

 

108

00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,040

The boy is sick.

There is not even any milk to feed him.

 

109

00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:51,000

We get no help. They are hungry.

We only get one piece of bread per day.

 

110

00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,200

-When did you eat last?

-This morning.

 

111

00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:56,080

-No food all day?

-No.

 

112

00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,240

-When did you eat last?

-This morning.

 

113

00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:01,200

-No lunch?

-No.

 

114

00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:07,160

That's my brother.

He lost five of his daughters.

 

115

00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,200

-Where are they?

-IS kidnapped them.

 

116

00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:13,160

-Where's your brother?

-Over there. He is disabled.

 

117

00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,240

Your daughters are said

to have been kidnapped.

 

118

00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:23,080

Yes. Five daughters. Two

little girls and three older.

 

119

00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,160

-Is that your daughter?

-Yes.

 

120

00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:30,080

-Are your siblings younger or older than you?

-They are all younger.

 

121

00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:34,040

The youngest are 11 and 7.

 

122

00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,000

-My child ...

-Do you miss your sisters?

 

123

00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:42,000

Enormously.

I hope I get to see them again.

 

124

00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:54,080

I miss my children so much.

They took my little girls.

 

125

00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,040

Why did only some of you manage to escape?

 

126

00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:09,240

He is disabled. We didn't want to

leave him, so we stayed

 

127

00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,200

The children fled before us

and were captured by the terrorists.

 

128

00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,080

-They fled ahead of you and got kidnapped?

-Yes!

 

129

00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:29,200

No one came to help us.

We had no car.

 

130

00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,120

We just want our children back.

 

131

00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:40,160

We can go without food and water,

but not without the children.

 

132

00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:49,080

IS brutality affects men and women,

civilians and soldiers alike.

 

133

00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:54,040

Recently, a group of Kurdish peshmergas

were captured.

 

134

00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:59,160

They were forced to condemn their people and

renounce their cause, in favour of IS.

 

135

00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:02,240

At least one of them paid

with his life.

 

136

00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,200

He was beheaded in front of one of Mosul's

most iconic mosques

 

137

00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:11,040

in the same manner as

American journalist, James Foley,

 

138

00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:16,080

in revenge for US air strikes in Iraq.

 

139

00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,000

Last week, more than 250 Syrian soldiers were captured

 

140

00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:25,080

following a battle with IS forces in Syria.

 

141

00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:29,040

After being forced to undress and march

through the desert, they were shot dead.

 

142

00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:32,080

IS cruelty is not just reseved for combatants.

 

143

00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:37,000

So newlywed Besma -

whom we met only a couple of days ago -

 

144

00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,200

has every reason to be worried

by her husband's disappearance.

 

145

00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,120

She lives somewhere in this refugee camp,

with some 15,000 others.

 

146

00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,080

Hi! Do you know the girl in the picture?

 

147

00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:01,160

Her husband is missing.

I wonder if she has found him.

 

148

00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,160

No, I don't know her.

 

149

00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:08,200

-And you don't know her either?

-No.

 

150

00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,160

-No.

-No.

 

151

00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,160

How would someone go about tracking

a lost relative?

 

152

00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:39,120

Has this girl reported

her missing husband?

 

153

00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,120

I have never seen her.

 

154

00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:52,200

In the first week alone, more than 200,000

people left their homes.

 

155

00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:58,200

75,000 crossed the bridge

between Syria and Southern Kurdistan.

 

156

00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:03,000

After days without sleep. this family

can finally get some rest.

 

157

00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:07,120

Beside this man: an untouched bag

of bread and juice.

 

158

00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:11,040

Thousands of people seek

shade in the heat.

 

159

00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:16,160

More refugees are on their way.

Hogir is at the border.

 

160

00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,240

-Have you gone barefoot all the way?

-Yes.

 

161

00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,040

-For how long?

-For two days.

 

162

00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,120

My feet are burning.

 

163

00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,200

-Still?

-Yes.

 

164

00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:43,280

-Even in your new sandals?

-Yes, it hurts.

 

165

00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:47,240

Put these on.

 

166

00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:52,080

Do you want any water?

 

167

00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,160

-How has the journey been?

-Not so good.

 

168

00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,080

How long have you been on the run?

 

169

00:17:04,120 --> 00:17:09,160

About a day. We arrived the day before yesterday.

 

170

00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:16,160

You talk to him instead.

I have dust in my throat and it hurts.

 

171

00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:18,160

We were in the mountains for six days.

 

172

00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:23,120

We walked over to the Syrian side

on-foot.

 

173

00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,040

After two days in Syria, we came here.

 

174

00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:34,200

-You have a baby with you.

-He is only two months old.

 

175

00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,200

Islamic State's merciless rampage has

driven more than 1.5 million people

 

176

00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:47,000

to flee to Southern Kurdistan

from various parts of Iraq.

 

177

00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:52,160

On top of that, last year they received

300,000 refugees from Syria.

 

178

00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:56,160

Peshmerga fighters here are

waging war against IS militants.

 

179

00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:00,160

But with the central government in Baghdad not

having made payments for nine months,

 

180

00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:04,040

the strain on the Kurdish people is enormous.

 

181

00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:09,160

Thanks to civilian volunteers, however,

refugees get the help they need.

 

182

00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:14,080

-Why are you handing out water?

-I'm from Zakho.

 

183

00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:21,080

I'm trying to help our brothers.

The refugees are our guests.

 

184

00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:25,200

I want to help. It's the least I can do.

 

185

00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,040

-What do you do ordinarily?

-I'm a labourer.

 

186

00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:31,040

Today you're doing this voluntarily?

 

187

00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:37,000

Yes, they are our guests and equals.

I left my work and am here to help.

 

188

00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:42,200

-How are you going to support your family?

-Right now I am thinking of the refugees.

 

189

00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,240

In this part of the world

family means everything.

 

190

00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:56,200

Something that can make fleeing

unbelievably difficult.

 

191

00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,200

This is Khaled, who fled with his wife

and small children

 

192

00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,200

and still managed to carry his elderly mother

on his back for three days.

 

193

00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:10,080

As long as we live, we will

never abandon our elderly.

 

194

00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:14,000

Whatever happens, we will not do it.

 

195

00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:18,160

-How are you?

-I'm not good at all

 

196

00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:22,160

-Was the escape hard?

-Yes, very stressful.

 

197

00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,080

What have you arranged here?

 

198

00:19:25,120 --> 00:19:32,040

Just a few blankets to protect

the children from the strong sun.

 

199

00:19:32,080 --> 00:19:38,080

That is until we get hold of something

else, maybe a tent that works better.

 

200

00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:51,160

-Are they transporting people from the other side?

-Yes.

 

201

00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:56,040

Others have to make hellish choices along the way.

 

202

00:19:56,080 --> 00:20:01,040

-Hi. Did you just arrive?

-Yes, I just got here.

 

203

00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:05,000

-What have you brought with you?

-Nothing else besides my family.

 

204

00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:10,080

Two of my children are missing.

They took them.

 

205

00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:15,080

I don't even know if they are still alive.

My two little girls.

 

206

00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:20,080

-How old are they?

-One is 15 and the other, 10.

 

207

00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,200

-How did that happen?

-It's war.

 

208

00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,040

We could hardly save ourselves.

 

209

00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:28,160

-So you left your children?

-Yes.

 

210

00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:32,240

63 men in my family have been killed.

 

211

00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:36,200

-During these attacks?

-Yes, 63 people.

 

212

00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:43,000

And my grandson died in my arms.

My daughter's son.

 

213

00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,080

We buried him along the way.

 

214

00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:50,040

What can I do?

 

215

00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:53,120

-What do you have in your bag?

-Just two blankets.

 

216

00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:57,240

We just took blankets

and the clothes that we were wearing.

 

217

00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,120

We were surrounded and attacked.

 

218

00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,200

-Where's your wife?

-She is there.

 

219

00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:19,200

-How are you? Where are your daughters?

-They are gone.

 

220

00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,200

We could hardly save ourselves.

 

221

00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,200

I can barely stand on my feet.

 

222

00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:42,000

I can hardly move.

We have walked day and night.

 

223

00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:48,000

This is my sister-in-law.

She couldn't walk, so I carried her.

 

224

00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:51,040

-Where are you going now?

-To Dohuk, Kurdistan.

 

225

00:21:51,120 --> 00:21:53,160

We have nowhere else to go.

 

226

00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:57,040

We hope somebody will help us there.

We have no other option.

 

227

00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,200

God help us.

 

228

00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:06,000

Losing 63 relatives

is very hard.

 

229

00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,040

I feel shaky behind my camera.

 

230

00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:20,160

These people have no idea

what has just happened to them.

 

231

00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:26,000

The day they truly understand it -

that's when the real crisis will hit.

 

232

00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:30,080

This is so inhuman, so horrible.

 

233

00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:38,120

-Are you hurt?

-I've got blisters from walking.

 

234

00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,200

-Did you get them along the way?

-Yes, we were walking for so long.

 

235

00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:45,160

-How many days have you been walking?

-Three days.

 

236

00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:55,040

We have been through hell. For 10 days

we have been walking with young children.

 

237

00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:05,120

We have no money, nothing left.

We left all our belongings behind.

 

238

00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,040

Left for IS.

 

239

00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:10,080

Come Here! I have space in my bus.

 

240

00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:15,080

-Where are you driving them?

-To Zakho.

 

241

00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:22,040

Khanke, Shariya and Dohuk.

They will live in schools.

 

242

00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:29,000

Come and meet a newborn baby.

Just a few days old.

 

243

00:23:30,580 --> 00:23:35,540

In this nightmare by the border, a tiny miracle.

 

244

00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:38,600

This is Tawre with her newborn baby.

 

245

00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:43,480

How about you? It's good.

 

246

00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:48,320

How old is your child? The baby

was born in the mountains.

 

247

00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:51,400

-When did you give birth?

-Eight days ago.

 

248

00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,520

-Is it a girl or a boy?

-A girl.

 

249

00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,480

-Do you have any other children?

-Yes, two sons and two daughters.

 

250

00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:06,520

-How hard was it to give birth in the mountains?

-It was very hard, I barely survived.

 

251

00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,440

-Were there any doctors present?

-No, there were none.

 

252

00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:15,320

-How did you manage it?

-It was either giving birth or dying.

 

253

00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:19,280

I started walking immediately afterwards

and have been walking for eight days.

 

254

00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:24,480

-Was there any food or water?

-Water, in extremely small quantities.

 

255

00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:33,520

-What are you going to name her?

-Harbia. It means war.

 

256

00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:37,320

She was born into war.

 

257

00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:02,320

-Where are you going now?

-We're going to Zakho.

 

258

00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:10,480

Tawre, her little daughter Harbia, and the rest of the

family are boarding a bus to Zakho, about 40km away.

 

259

00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,400

Others will have to wait in the

45-degree heat.

 

260

00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:21,440

And on the other side of the border, the flow of refugees

seems endless as cars shuttle over the bridge.

 

261

00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:26,440

-Where are you going?

-Syria. I'll pick up refugees.

 

262

00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,280

-How many can fit in your car?

-No more than 6 people.

 

263

00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:34,480

But they're large families,

so I'll be taking up to 16 people.

 

264

00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:40,440

-Are there many left on the other side?

-Yes, many.

 

265

00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:45,400

-How many roughly?

-Over 15-20,000 people.

 

266

00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:48,440

Besides the refugees

who are stuck in the Shengal mountains

 

267

00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:51,440

-how many are left?

-Loads of them.

 

268

00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:55,480

They have suffered much,

and are very tired.

 

269

00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:05,480

Tents are growing in number here on the

outskirts of Dahouk.

 

270

00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:10,480

By the camp entrance, 15-year-old Faize waits

every day, hoping to find her friends from home

 

271

00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:14,320

whom she hasn't seen since fleeing.

 

272

00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:21,320

-What do you think when you think about your friends?

-I hope they are well.

 

273

00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,440

-Do you think they will make it here?

-Yes.

 

274

00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:43,320

-How are you?

-Good.

 

275

00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:44,520

-What is your name?

-Suad.

 

276

00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:49,440

-Why are you lying here?

-I'm in pain.

 

277

00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:55,520

-What happened to your hand?

-I had a drip.

 

278

00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:00,360

-Are you sick, Suad?

-Yes.

 

279

00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:08,360

I was dizzy and vomited.

I haven't eaten for several days.

 

280

00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,480

Where are your parents?

 

281

00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:19,360

I don't know.

 

282

00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:23,360

-Do you have any siblings?

-Yes.

 

283

00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:29,320

-How many?

-Four or five ... Four I think.

 

284

00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:33,480

-Where are they?

-They're here somewhere.

 

285

00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,320

It hurts!

 

286

00:27:45,280 --> 00:27:50,360

A girl is lying there alone and crying.

Can you help her?

 

287

00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:52,520

Yes, of course.

 

288

00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,280

-Where is she?

-Over there.

 

289

00:27:57,360 --> 00:27:59,520

Here is a doctor, Suad.

 

290

00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:05,280

How are you, Suad?

Do you have a headache? Stomach ache?

 

291

00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:11,440

She doesn't feel good. She throws up everything she eats.

It can lead to dehydration.

 

292

00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,520

I see how Suad suffers.

 

293

00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:20,440

She hasn't eaten for three days.

 

294

00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:26,440

I feel helpless.

I go back to my car, lock the door and cry.

 

295

00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:32,440

Ten minutes later, I go back.

But she has gone.

 

296

00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:37,400

This is where Suad was. Now she's gone.

 

297

00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:46,440

She is only ten years old - the same age as me

when we fled in 1991.

 

298

00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:51,360

I got lost and was without

my parents for eight days.

 

299

00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,440

I was sick and had no

desire to eat, just like Suad.

 

300

00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:59,440

She needed help.

And it is hard for me to forget her.

 

301

00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:06,440

Many have attested how their daughters and sisters

were kidnapped by IS.

 

302

00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:11,480

A few managed to escape to their freedom.

Like 22-year-old Amira -

 

303

00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:16,440

now hiding with her family in a town in

Southern Kurdistan.

 

304

00:29:16,520 --> 00:29:21,320

She was four months pregnant when she was

abducted by IS - her little son by her side.

 

305

00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:28,360

We went along the road by foot for two hours.

 

306

00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:32,400

We got stopped by 10 cars

belonging to IS.

 

307

00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,480

We were many families.

 

308

00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:39,440

They separated men and women.

 

309

00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:46,440

We asked what they wanted. They said that we

had the wrong faith - an objectionable religion.

 

310

00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:53,480

They asked if we wanted to convert.

When the men said no, they were killed.

 

311

00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:59,360

Her husband and other family members

were shot dead before her eyes.

 

312

00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:05,320

The women were whisked away and moved between

houses for 3 days before ending up in Mosul.

 

313

00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:13,280

We were in Mosul for 10 days in a room.

Many women were forced to take pills.

 

314

00:30:13,320 --> 00:30:19,320

We were photographed and

tortured until we converted.

 

315

00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:27,400

We had to read the Koran and pray like them.

They threatened to kill us otherwise.

 

316

00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:33,400

They were beaten, and their captors tried

to make them convert to Islam.

 

317

00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:38,360

Then they were moved once more -

but this time, not all were allowed to come.

 

318

00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:44,400

The elderly weren't allowed to come along,

just girls and young women.

 

319

00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:51,440

They told us that no-one

would leave the house "unmarried".

 

320

00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:59,320

Every time they came, they took with them

10, 20, sometimes 30 women.

 

321

00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:04,320

Each woman was bought for

two days and then sold on.

 

322

00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:10,480

Each Yazidi woman was forced to "marry"

with a total of 12 Islamists.

 

323

00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:13,360

Even married women like me.

 

324

00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:18,280

One of the IS men took me.

 

325

00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:22,280

I was the last to leave the house.

 

326

00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:27,360

She was sold to a man for 14,000 Iraqi dinars -

12 USD.

 

327

00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:32,280

She was allowed to bring her child.

 

328

00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,520

In the new house, I was a prisoner.

 

329

00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,520

When the guards went to sleep,

my son and I were left alone.

 

330

00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:44,400

My son was crying of thirst at night,

but no-one opened the door.

 

331

00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:49,400

That was when I broke the door down.

 

332

00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:55,440

When I saw that the guards were sleeping,

I went back for my son and ran away.

 

333

00:31:55,480 --> 00:32:01,440

I walked for about 4 hours

during the night.

 

334

00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,480

I went to a house

and asked the people to save me.

 

335

00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:09,440

IS would kill me if they caught me.

 

336

00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:15,320

They said that they would.

They helped me a lot.

 

337

00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:20,480

They gave me a niqab, black gloves,

even an ID.

 

338

00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:25,360

We passed two IS roadblocks

before entering peshmerga territory.

 

339

00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:29,360

Today, she's in safe hands - at least temporarily -

with relatives.

 

340

00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,280

Now her primary concern is her son.

 

341

00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:37,320

He has also gone through a lot

and suffered along with me.

 

342

00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:43,360

I have endured much for my son.

He gave me the courage to escape.

 

343

00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:45,440

My heart's aching for him.

 

344

00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:52,320

I feel a great responsibility, because we

are the only ones that remain of my family.

 

345

00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:58,480

The struggle against the organisation that

kidnapped her will be long and difficult.

 

346

00:32:59,280 --> 00:33:02,440

IS is a well-organized enemy.

 

347

00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:08,360

The Kurdish peshmergas have been promised

weapons by several countries.

 

348

00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:13,520

The US are bombing those IS forces that

can be attacked from the air.

 

349

00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,400

Iraq's neighbours, Iran, have also sent troops

 

350

00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:21,400

in this complicated war game

where old enemies become allies.

 

351

00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:26,400

One possible complication is that if IS installs

law and order in chaotic environments,

 

352

00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:31,280

they might well win the support of

the local population.

 

353

00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:36,520

-Hello! How are you?

-Hi.

 

354

00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:38,400

-Do you live here?

-Yes.

 

355

00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:42,360

-Do you recognize this girl?

-Yes.

 

356

00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,360

-Do you know her? Who is she?

-Besma.

 

357

00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,360

-Where is she?

-She lives there.

 

358

00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:54,360

-Here?

-No, she lives there.

 

359

00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:58,520

-Hi! How are you?

-I'm fine. Welcome!

 

360

00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:01,480

My name is Hogir.

 

361

00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:06,400

I'm making a documentary and

interviewed Besma earlier.

 

362

00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:10,360

Now I am looking for her.

Her husband was missing.

 

363

00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:12,440

They've found him. He is here.

 

364

00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:18,360

-Really! She has found her husband?

-Yes, she has found him.

 

365

00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,480

-Where are they?

-They live in the House behind.

 

366

00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:29,320

This is good news.

 

367

00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:34,360

There she is.

 

368

00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:36,360

-How are you, Besma?

-Good.

 

369

00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:38,400

-Do you recognize me?

-Yes, I do.

 

370

00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:40,400

-Have you found your husband?

-Yes!

 

371

00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:43,480

-How are you? What is your name?

-My name is Sirwan.

 

372

00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:47,440

-When did he arrive?

-Two days ago.

 

373

00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:50,440

-Are you happy?

-Yes, very happy.

 

374

00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:58,320

-Where were you? Besma was worried about you.

-In the mountains. They took our mobiles.

 

375

00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:03,320

We endured a lot of pain.

IS captured me, but I escaped.

 

376

00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:05,320

My family is still there though.

 

377

00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:11,280

How did it feel to hear that he was alive and

that you would see him again?

 

378

00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:17,360

It made me very happy, but

I grieve for the rest of our families.

 

379

00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:22,360

Over the abused Yazidi girls,

and the children who were left in the mountains.

© 2024 Journeyman Pictures
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