A group of Yazidi women and children were reunited with their families in Iraq today after five years of captivity at the hands of the Islamic State group.
Elated families met their loved ones at a rural truck stop on the road between Sinjar and Dohuk, tossing candy in the air like confetti and hugging and kissing their relatives in emotional scenes that underscored their long ordeal.
Among the arrivals was ten-year-old Dilbar Ali Ravu who was finally reunited with his family after five years in captivity.
His uncle, Jihad Ravu, said Dilbar developed lesions on his face while he was being held in a cell in Tal Afar in the early days of his captivity, after he was abducted.
Ten-year-old Dilbar Ali Ravu, 10, is hugged and kissed by his aunt Dalal Ravu after he was held in captivity for five years by Islamic State
Dilbar is among 18 children, aged 10 to 15, who were finally reunited with their family after years in captivity
The ten-year-old's uncle, Jihad Ravu, said the young boy had developed lesions on his face while he was being kept in his cell by IS militants
He added Dilbar had not had proper medical treatment since then.
The 18 returning children, aged 10 to 15, appeared weary and at times uneasy with the attention of the media and officials.
With many parents still missing in territory held by Islamic State, few were there to receive their children.
Still, the children could not hide their joy at being hugged and kissed once more by their relatives after the long and traumatic separation.
They included 11 boys that many fear were trained in military camps by IS, though they all denied it.
The young Yazidi boy is greeted by his elated family at a rural truck stop on the road between Sinjar and Dohuk
An elated relative kisses the cheek of a Yazidi survivor boy after he is released by IS militants
A Yazidi woman stands for a picture with her family at a rural truck stop after years in captivity
Only days since escaping the extremist group, the children were struggling to come to terms with their ordeal.
Milad Hussein Khalaf, 13, who was separated from his family in 2014 by militants, said: 'They treated us well.'
He said his IS family put him in a religious school and he had learned to recite passages from the Quran
