Iraq's Yazidis beg for help as ISIS continues 'massacre' of religious minority

Iraq's Yazidis beg for help as ISIS continues 'massacre' of religious minority
(Image credit: AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

Islamic State militants murdered 80 Yazidi men and kidnapped dozens more women and children from Kocho, a small village in Iraq, on Friday, The Associated Press reports.

Both survivors of the killings and officials said ISIS fighters had surrounded the village nearly two weeks ago, threatening death for any Yazidi who refused to convert to Islam. On Friday, the militants moved in and made good on their ultimatum. One man who managed to survive by faking his own death said the ISIS members herded the men away in groups, shooting them at the edge of the village and then walking among the bodies to finish off any who appeared to still be alive.

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.