40 children of Yazidi community died in ISIS attack in Sinjar in Iraq: UNICEF

Yazidi Community: 40 children died in ISIS attack

Yazidi community was in news in the first week of August 2014 after United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern over the death of 40 children of this community in Sinjar, Iraq in an ISIS militant group attack.

After the town was taken over by ISIS group on 3 August 2014, 40000 members of Yazidi community have left Sinjar and others are taking refuge in various locations of the Iraq.

About Yazidi Community

•    It is a religious sect found in northern Iraq, Syria and the Caucasus
•    Religion incorporates elements of many faiths, including Zoroastrianism
•    Principal divine figure, Malak Taus (Peacock Angel), is the supreme angel of the seven angels who ruled the universe after it was created by God
•    Many Muslims and other groups view Yazidis as devil worshippers

There are around 500000 Yazidis worldwide, most living in Iraq's Nineveh plains. In August 2007 jihadists attacked Yazidi villages in Nineveh, killing between 400 and 700 people.