b'IMPACT:TELLING THE STORYTestimonies in HoldingA USC Shoah Foundation team led by Stephen SmithSmith trekked to the cities of Duhok, Mesul and traveled to Northern Syria in October to assess theErbil in Iraq, where he met with Kurdish civilians and growing threat of genocidal violence against the localpolitical figures as he visited displaced persons camps, of Kurdish population. As with the Rohingya in Bangladesh,which there are 23 in Iraqi Kurdistan hosting almost 1 Institute staff wanted to document firsthand accountsmillion refugees and displaced persons. Other interviews of the victims, who are often the least heard but have sowere recorded inside Syria, as the filmmakers interviewed much to offer to our understanding of these unfoldinginternally displaced persons who were forced to flee their events. homes and now live in makeshift situations with little aid, Turkeys incursion into Northern Syria after thefood or medical care. The testimonies collected by Smith United States withdrawal in the region forced thousandsand his team will be used for educational research and of Kurdish refugees to seek safety in Northern Iraq. Leftglobal outreach and provide an opportunity for people without a permanent home, these Syrian Kurds are nowexperiencing ethnic violence to share their plight and stateless, at a much higher risk of ethnic cleansing at theexplain their needs to the world.hands of Turkish forces or their proxies. 2019 ANNUAL REPORT25'