IRAQ. Mount Sinjar. August 12, 2014. An elderly Yazidi woman grips her son with anticipation as they wait for an Iraqi airforce rescue helicopter to land, hoping to be able to get a spot on the aircraft. The woman and her son, both Yazidis, had fled religious persecution at the hands of Islamist extremists who had taken over their hometown. In the mountains, they found safety from ISIS but risked dying of hunger and thirst. They eventually did manage to board the rescue helicopter, but it crashed into the side of the mountain shortly after takeoff. They both survived the crash, and were rescued by a second helicopter which airlifted them to Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdistan.