Last stand at a holy shrine for refugees

Palestinians walk through the rubble of a house after it was hit by an Israeli missile strike in the Nuseirat Refugee Camp, central Gaza Strip. Photo / AP

As they gathered on their holiest shrine yesterday, Sinjar's surviving Yazidis had one topic of conversation: how to get out of Iraq, leaving their homeland and its temples forever.

"There are Arabs to the west of us, Arabs to the east and south of us," said Sardar Barpiri, 35, a refugee from Isis (Islamic State) terror, sheltering in the dark halls of the Yazidis' holiest temple, the Shrine of Sheikh Adi. "They are killing us, all of us. Whether it's Islam or whatever, they just want to kill us."

"We are never going home," said Firaz Falas. "Whether it means going to Britain, Germany, America - anywhere, we are not going back. We are a target because of our religion. There's nothing more to be said."

The Yazidis have lived in these rugged, barren hills for generations. But after their expulsion from Sinjar to the west, their largest centre of population, this is taking on the appearance of a last stand.

A hundred poorly armed members of a local militia guard the Shrine of Sheikh Adi from the marauding jihadists a few kilometres away, in the plain below. They swept through Sinjar 10 days ago, driving those they did not kill into the mountains to starve.

Now the Yazidis fear that Lalish, an infidel shrine like so many Isis has already destroyed, is next in their sights. The refugees know from first-hand experience what that means.

Dakhil Sedo Khero, 35, fled to his local shrine, of Sheikh Amadin, with his family when he saw Isis jihadists storm through the village. He saw them set up a checkpoint on the road below.

"They stopped the families at the checkpoint. They put them on the side of the road and shot them one after the other."