ARBIL: German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer met victims of the IS militia in northern Iraq on Wednesday, on the third day of her Middle East tour. Kramp-Karrenbauer met women and girls from the Yazidi minority group, who were enslaved and abused by the militants. One of the girls, 13-year-old Martin, told Kramp-Karrenbauer that she was kidnapped aged 8 and that the IS had killed all of her family except her father. She was enslaved for four years. Another victim, 35-year-old Melika, said there will still 3,000 women held captive by the militants in Syria, where the group is still active.
The German defence minister asked all men to leave the room in order to talk with the women privately. During her visit to Erbil, Kramp-Karrenbauer also met Kurdish Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed, and was scheduled to learn about the training of Kurdish soldiers in the autonomous northern region. After her meeting with Ahmed, the German Defence Ministry quoted Ahmed on Twitter as saying: “Our plea to the international community and Germany: strengthen your presence here in the region, [IS] is still a big danger.” — DPA
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