following the capture of Yazidi families by ISIS fighters,ISIS swiftly separated men and boys who had reached puberty from women and other children. In villages south of Mount Sinjar, men and older boys were immediately separated upon capture. In the northern villages, Yazidi families were first transferred to main checkpoints and towns, such as Khanasour and Sinouni, before they were separated.
33. Following this separation, ISIS fighters summarily executed men and older boys who refused to convert to Islam. Men from rural Yazidi villages who fled with their personal firearms in their belongings were also executed when the weapons were discovered in their possession. Most of those killed were executed by gunshots to the head; others had their throats cut. ISIS fighters carried out executions of male Yazidis in the streets of towns and villages, at makeshift checkpoints, on roadsides as well as on the lower sections of the roads ascending Mount Sinjar. Other captives, including family members, were often forced to witness the killings.
34. ISIS fighters sometimes executed captured Yazidi men and older boys just out of sight of the women and children. Some of those left behind reported hearing gunfire while others saw fighters returning with bloodstains on their clothing. The Yazidi men were not heard from again. Some ISIS fighters tormented survivors by telling evident untruths, including that ISIS had released the men and boys to go to Mount Sinjar.