Unable to return home due to PKK presence in Iraq's Sinjar, Ezidi man earns a living by making musical instrument

An Ezidi man, who fled from the Sinjar district of Mosul, Iraq, nine years ago due to the Daesh/ISIS terror group's occupation of the region and settled in a refugee camp in Duhok province, makes a musical instrument and performs his art at a workshop he set up under harsh conditions. İlyas Kolo, 68, who lives in the Bersive camp in Duhok, contributes to the livelihood of his family by making bağlama, an indigenous Turkish lute-like instrument, in the makeshift structure he built right next to his tent. Speaking to Anadolu, Kolo said he has been making efforts to hold on to life after migrating from Sinjar to Duhok. 'We were brought to this camp after being freed from captivity of Daesh/ISIS,' he said adding that he makes a living by keeping alive the music culture of his ancestors. Fearing that PKK terrorists in Sinjar will kidnap and kill their children, Ezidis are afraid to return to their hometown. Daesh/ISIS terrorists attacked Sinjar, a region with an Ezidi-majority population, in August 2014. The terror group kidnapped and killed thousands of people, including women and children, or detained them in areas under its control. The PKK terrorist organization managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar in 2014 under the pretext of protecting the Ezidi community from Daesh/ISIS terrorists. Sinjar has a strategic position, as it is some 120 kilometers (74 miles) from Mosul and close to the Turkish-Syrian border. An agreement signed between Erbil and Baghdad on Oct. 9, 2020, which is aimed at eliminating the PKK terrorist group in the region, has not been implemented yet. Estimates put the total Ezidi population across the world at nearly 700,000 people. They are concentrated in northern Iraq, but also live in countries like Syria and Türkiye.