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Iraq's Yazidis resume pilgrimages to sacred temple

Thousands of Yazidis have returned to observe the Yazidi New Year in Lalish, where they gather olives and firewood to perform religious duties in the temple.

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Iraqi Yazidis light candles and torches during a ceremony to celebrate the Yazidi New Year at the Lalish temple in Shikhan, Iraq, April 17, 2018. — REUTERS/Ari Jalal

Iraqi Yazidis are healing from the pain and hardship they suffered at the hands of the Islamic State, which swept their areas, killing men and forcing women into sexual slavery for over 2½ years.

In a sign of the return to normal life, the Yazidi New Year was celebrated in a Yazidi temple April 8 for the first time since the liberation from IS.

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