'We felt as one again': Family reunites in Winnipeg after 8 years apart

A family forced to flee Iraq during the Yazidi genocide has finally been reunited in Winnipeg.

Khalil and Fani Zndnan were separated from their three children after terrorist group ISIS invaded Yazidi communities in northern Iraq in 2014.

In the ensuing chaos, Hawas - who was 18 at the time - and his siblings Khalaf and Suad - who were 12 and 10 - were split from the rest of the family.

"When ISIS attacked our village, everyone was just scrambling to escape as fast as they could," said Hawas.

The three eventually landed at a refugee camp in Germany, where they have lived ever since.

"I was in a situation where I had younger siblings that I had to take care of and if I didn’t do that, then we would all be separated and that would leave me all alone," Hawas said.

The rest of the family ended up in Winnipeg, and for years didn't know if the three siblings were even alive.

"And then we got a phone call one evening randomly and they had said that your kids are here in Germany," said Khalil.

That was in 2017. It took a total of six years for the Zndnans to navigate the Canadian immigration system. Their lack of English and unfamiliarity with the system really set them back.

"We had to submit the same paperwork over and over and over again," said Donna Alexander, a volunteer who helped with the process.

Lawyer Reis Pagtakhan was also among the group of supporters who worked to reunite the Zndnans. He thinks the federal government needs to speed up the process.

"It shouldn’t be a four-year process, six-year process, not when you’re talking about families who are separated," Pagtakhan said. "Not when you’re talking about kids who are living in another country."

Khalil was so happy to see his children when the family finally reunited at the Winnipeg airport's Hug Rug.

"We were separated since 2014, so we even feared they wouldn’t be able to recognize their mom and dad," said Khalil. "So when they came and they hugged us, we felt as one again.”

Hawas was overwhelmed with emotion. "It was a bunch of flashbacks of everything we had been through the past eight years. It was an unreal feeling."

He's looking forward to going back to school in the fall. Khalil is grateful to have his family back together again.

"Just being under one roof," he said. "Being able to say 'good morning' to each other and know your kids are safe in a room next to you."

According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, more than 1,200 Yazidis have been welcomed into Canada since 2014.