Belgian Jihadists, Including Paris Attacker’s Brother, Accused of Enslaving Yazidi Women

The daily Le Soir conducted an investigation based on the testimony of a young Yazidi girl, herself a former slave, combined with the work of KUL researcher Pieter Van Ostayen and the Belgian association of victims of terrorism V-Europe. Two new Belgian jihadists who owned Yazidi slaves have been identified as part of this investigation.

The first identified jihadist is Younes Abaaoud, the younger brother of Abdelhamid, one of the perpetrators of the November 2015 attacks in Paris. In 2014, when he was only 13 years old, this Belgian of Moroccan origin was fighting alongside the jihadists after being kidnapped by his older brother. According to the testimony of the young Yazidi girl, he owned several slaves. Younes is said to have died in Syria.

The second Belgian identified is Abu Talha al-Belgiki, alias Yassine Cheikhi, a Brussels resident close to Abdelhamid Abaaoud. He too had fought in Syria with Daesh. The Syrian Democratic Forces had arrested him after the Battle of Baghuz in March 2019. Since then, he has been incarcerated in a prison in northeastern Syria. His alleged slave was a minor at the time of the facts.

According to the federal prosecutor’s office, six files have been opened concerning the involvement of Belgians in the enslavement of Yazidis in Iraq and Syria, reports Belga.