Kurdish soldiers prepare for battle
outside Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
(File photo, Boris Niehaus, Wikimedia obtained
via Christian Aid Mission)
Iraq (MNN) — Thousands of Yazidi fighters are joining forces with the Kurds to take on the Islamic State.
According to CNN, 5,000 Yazidi fighters are undergirding an imminent Kurdish offensive that’s prepared to re-take Sinjar.
“Sinjar is a symbolic and strategic prize sitting astride the main highway linking the cities of Mosul and Raqqa – Islamic State’s bastions in Iraq and Syria,” Reuters explains.
Last summer, shortly after declaring itself a caliphate, ISIS began taking major cities throughout Iraq by force. Iraqi and Kurdish forces have been battling to take back control and territory ever since.
But the battle for Iraq is about more than defeating the Islamic State.
“Muslims around the world are actually coming to realize what their faith truly believes,” says Steve Van Valkenburg of Christian Aid Mission.
(Wikipedia)
“When they look at ISIS – these are people that are actually fulfilling what the Koran says they should be doing.”
Christian workers in northern Iraq can barely keep up with area residents’ desire to learn about Christ and the Bible, national ministry leaders tell Christian Aid Mission.
Van Valkenburg says Kurdish Muslims are asking local believers a lot of questions about God and Truth.
“They’re very, very eager to find out more about what God’s Word says,” shares Van Valkenburg. “The Bibles are their [Christians’] most effective evangelists.
“When they read God’s Word, God’s Spirit speaks to them and brings about regeneration.”
Read Christian Aid Mission’s full report here.
Christian Aid Mission partners with believers throughout the world to make Christ known. In Iraq and Syria, they’re helping churches stand strong and meet the needs of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Last year, following the Mount Sinjar catastrophe, Iraqi ministries supported by Christian Aid Mission supplied for needs the government and UN couldn’t cover.
Displaced Iraqis are facing their second winter in either run-down apartments or tents such as this one in Erbil, Kurdistan.
(Photo, caption courtesy Christian Aid Mission)
With winter now on their doorstep, the ministries’ need for blankets, heaters, food, and diapers is only increasing.
Click here to see how you can help.
PRAYER POINTS
- Pray that believers will continue in obedience and faithfulness to Christ, despite Islamic State threats.
- Pray for adequate funding to support indigenous missionaries’ efforts to meet physical and spiritual needs.
