The battle for Mosul stalls: 'we are fighting the devil himself' - for The Guardian

December 06, 2016 in tearsheets

Work covering the Mosul offensive for The Guardian as the fight between Iraqi forces and ISIS continues. Read the article here.

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SWIPE [2017 / 2018] What a difference time makes. From battle to rebuilding on a single rooftop in Mosul. Here's to wishing for the continued improvement of security and safety in Iraq through 2019.

Four-and-a-half years ago on a YPG-held frontline in northeastern Syria, just a few days prior to ISIS’s rampage across the region which led to US intervention.
Trump’s abrupt decision this week to withdrawal troops will have long lasting consequences and has shown the world once again how America uses and betrays its proxies. By siding with the Turkish president over that of his closest advisors, Trump has yielded further relevance to both Russia and Iran while downplaying and ignoring ISIS’s abilities at a pivotal moment in Syria’s seventh year of war.

Four-and-a-half years ago on a YPG-held frontline in northeastern Syria, just a few days prior to ISIS’s rampage across the region which led to US intervention.
Trump’s abrupt decision this week to withdrawal troops will have long lasting consequences across the region and has shown the world once again how America uses and betrays its proxies. By siding with the Turkish president over that of his closest advisors, Trump has yielded further relevance to both Russia and Iran while downplaying and ignoring ISIS’s abilities at a pivotal moment in Syria’s seventh year of war.

A selfie in front of the reconstructed gateway of what is said to be the oldest continually inhabited structure in the world - the Erbil Citadel. #thisdigitalworld #Kurdistan #Iraq #Iraqi #Kurds #middleeast

Chai khana zor xosha #Kurdish #Iraq #Kurdistan

A year and a half ago I stood on this street corner and watched families carrying each other through the dust and rubble, fleeing the fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIS in the Old City of Mosul. It was the first time people were able to escape the area after eight months of siege. Thirsty, malnourished, and exhausted, they flooded through the streets as Iraqi forces pushed forward in the opposite direction. Some were peppered with shrapnel from airstrikes, others barely had enough strength to walk. Bullets and bombs flew overheard and as night fell the stream of people fleeing stopped. @nzcam, @sangarsekany, and I hunkered down with a unit of Iraqi Special Forces soldiers in a house a few doors down from the doorframe pictured here. The whispers of bullets and echoing thud of explosions filled the night sky. Flares dropped overhead and burst into glowing bulbs, illuminating the battleground. We eventually drifted to sleep on the rooftop and were awakened early the next morning by a mortar landing a few meters away. We pulled armor and blankets over our bodies as the dust and shards of concrete dropped around us. Those days were filled with misery and terror, but on this street corner now is a new game room filled children and a vendor with a cart piled high with apples and onions. I met Saddam, the owner of the house we sheltered in and asked if I could see his house. Walking me inside, he showed off the fresh paint job and new tiling before leading me up to the roof. The sound of kids laughter echoed below us as a flock of birds flew by. I thanked Saddam for his house and how it kept me safe those days while he was away. “You are always welcome here,” he said with a smile.

Spending these weekends out with a bit more joy than we did in the past. #Kurdistan #Iraq #Iraqi #lakedukan #dukanlake #lake #kurdish #kurds

Fishin. Grammin. Staring. #Iraq #Kurdistan

Lake Dukan #Kurdistan #iraq

Lake Dukan #Kurdistan #Iraq

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