Yazidi hostages are big business for IS group
Nearly 5,000 Yazidis were kidnapped in Iraq by the Islamic State group during its offensive against the Sinjar region last June. Since then, their families have been trying to buy them back. More than 1,000 hostages have already been released this way, creating a well-structured market with jihadist suppliers, Kurdish and Arab negotiators, and Yazidi buyers. The Kurdish authorities even reimburse families for the ransoms they are made to pay.