“Yazidi women sold for 10 bucks” So, is it “mission accomplished?”

While president Barack Obama declared U.S. Forces have accomplished their mission to rescue people trapped on Mount Sinjar, a group of Yazidi protested in front of the U.N. on Friday morning. About forty of them gathered in front of the HQ in New York, while a representative was inside meeting officials and asking for help. “IS [Islamic State] is still a great threat to our people,” they cried. They say the U.S. air strikes were not enough and there are at least 3,000 people trapped on top of the mountain. The situation, they claimed, is far from being resolved. United Nations officials agree with them and declared: “The situation is not over.” Many fear for women and children. The first, they claimed, are sold for 10 dollars and the second are being converted to Islam and forced to join the jihad.

“We need military and humanitarian support,” said to me Dakheel Zanadinan while holding a sign with pictures of slaughtered children. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he works for an NGO. He used to be an interpreter for US Special Forces in Iraq, he worked with them for years. Dakheel drove an entire day just to be here and protest against the U.N. lack of action. “My niece has been captured while escaping from Mount Sinjar,” he continued. She  is 10 years old and he does not know what to wish for her. If still alive, she faces violence and slavery.

IS militants are not killing all women and children. “They spare some to use them as slaves or convert them,” said Sulaiman Murad, also a former interpreter for US Forces. He talked to his family. They are safe in Kurdistan, although they are sleeping on the streets. He claimed the KRG, Kurdish Regional Government, is not providing any humanitarian assistance to the at least 300,000 refugees. His family told him what his happening and fear is growing for the 3,000 Yazidi women captured by IS.

“They have been raped by jihadists and then sold at the market to Saudi,” Murad said. “They have auctions and they are usually sold for 10 bucks. The alternative for some is marrying a fighter or face life imprisonment and torture.”

Children, instead, are being converted and train to become fighters. “Sometimes, though, they are enslaved and forced to work in the kitchen, cooking and bringing food.”

All of them have horror stories to tell. Their struggle is far from over. Now they are stuck in Kurdistan and at the boarder with Turkey. The group protesting in New York said will be forever grateful to the PKK for saving their families lives. “The Peshmergas left the Sinjar when IS was about to attack,” said Dakheel. “The PKK fighters opened a passage to escort thousands of people.” He asked why the Kurdistan Worker’s Party is still considered a terrorist organization since “they are the ones providing safety in the area.”

The protest in front of the U.S. wanted to raise awareness on the situation. “Refugees need to flee Iraq, they are not safe there,” they continued and plead Obama for help. “Please do not abandon us.”

(A similar article has been published by Corriere della Sera and can be found here )