Iraq’s diverse religious communities face ongoing challenges more than 10 years after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) waged genocide against many of them. The federal and Kurdistan regional governments have improved some FoRB conditions, but their failure to curb the growing power of Iran-affiliated militias and other malign actors is the single largest threat to those communities’ security and existence in the country.
Source: Iraqi Yazidis light candles and paraffin torches during a ceremony to celebrate the Yazidi New Year at Lalish temple in Shekhan District in Duhok, REUTERS / Jalal