Ezidi refugee Khalid Adi, a 23-year-old refugee in the Armidale, consults his notes as he talks.
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He has written: "Thank God, today my dear neighbour (Avin Mcho) from Rambouse has been released from the hands of ISIS after five difficult years of torture, humiliation, and slavery. And we wish the same for all of those who are still kidnapped by ISIS terrorist fighters."
Khalid has heard amazing news: 27 of his friends and neighbours have escaped ISIS captivity.
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His Ezidi community in Northern Iraq was targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq in 2014.
When the ISIS military lost control of the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2017, they moved onto Syria. Kidnapped women were moved with the ISIS fighters, men murdered, and children were trained to fight. Family members lost contact, and many still do not know what has become of their loved ones.
His friends were held prisoners there for two-and-a-half years, most recently in the town of Al-Baghouz. The Syrian Democratic Forces (Hezen Suriya Demokratik) freed the Ezidi prisoners in April. They found safety in the Syrian camp of Deir ez-Zor, then returned to Iraq on May 6.
They are now at home, the village of Sinjar (Shingal), but still feel unsafe. The region was the site of a 2014 massacre when thousands of Ezidis were killed. Khalid quoted United Nations statistics.
"Yazidis abductees as a result of the hideous crimes committed by the terrorists of the Islamic state in Iraq and Syria (Daesh) since August 3, 2014."
The number of Yazidis living in Iraq was approximately 550,000. About 360,000 people were displaced after ISIS invaded.
ISIS abducted 6417 people: 3548 women and 2869 Men.
2745 children were orphaned, and 220 held in ISIS captivity. The number of mass graves that have so far been discovered is 80 in addition to dozens of individual graves.
ISIS militants bombed 68 shrines.
More than 100,000 have immigrated to foreign countries. The number of survivors from ISIS captivity is written below:1178 Women and 337 men have survived ISIS captivity.
Khalid hopes his fellow Ezidis will be able to join him in Australia. He himself has found a new home here in Armidale.
"It's been so heartwarming to see the Armidale community welcome the incoming refugees," he said.
"Despite all the things that have happened, such as the violence, no other country has assisted as much as the Australian Government, who is really helping people escaping from ISIS."
