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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“Peace to you dearest Mohammad Abu Medan,

Me and your son miss you a lot and especially your son Medan because his first word was “papa” and it was very emotional to my heart.

Mohammad, I don't know how to begin to tell you about your distance and our troubles in the camp without you. That you’re away from us is what I liken to a disaster, in fact it is a disaster in itself. Your son needs you a lot because it's his early years and you are far away from him. How I wish he was in your arms and you could hear him say papa because it's the most incredible word that ever existed, but fate has separated us from each other and I pray to God to reunite us soon and break these foreign borders. The mother of your child Medan, We miss you. Know very well that life is tasteless without you.” Photographed in Kawergosk Refugee Camp in northern Iraq as part of the collaborative projects Dear Father and Syria’s Children. Letters were written by subjects to their fathers and husbands separated from them in Europe. This image was taken in May 2016. Ten of thousands of refugees and migrants have attempted to enter Europe in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and their families. Many of those making the long journey are single males, risking their lives alone in hopes of being able to send for their families after they reach safety and gain asylum. Of those that successfully make it to Europe, many are indefinitely separated from their families and unable to work or provide the financial assistance they once did before leaving. These men are left waiting, sometimes for months or years, in refugee holding centers for judgement and decisions on residency and the eventual possibility of bringing their families with them. Likewise, many wives and children are left waiting and alone in refugee camps around the region. As aid to Syrian refugees continues to lessen, life has becomingly increasingly hard for families left behind without a male heads of households.

Remembering all the mothers and families separated by borders today. #mothersday #refugees #refugeeswelcome #Syria #syrian #mothers #women #children

As we mark World Press Freedom Day this week, let us pause and remember the risks journalists face around the world. Hundreds of journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, dozens have been targeted, kidnapped, and killed by ISIS, and thousands of others face threats for just for doing their job. This photo is of photographer, @younesagha, just after he was injured in a mortar blast as Peshmerga forces advanced on ISIS fighters in the fall of 2016. We were heading towards the frontline as Younes rolled passed us in the opposite direction on this pickup truck—shrapnel wounds to his head, the body of a dead Kurdish fighter at his feet. I saw him pick up his camera and take a photo as tears and blood ran down his face. I touched briefly on this image and the tragic events of this past month in todays @roadsandkingdoms newsletter. I hope you read it. #journalismisnotacrime

UNMAS projects are often designed to focus on both physical mine clearance and civilian rehabilitation and preventative efforts. Pictured here young boys take part in a risk education class on the outskirts of Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The class is designed to help the children identify different types of explosive hazards they might come across. Kids are often victims of explosives in post-conflict areas as items like cluster munitions and grenades look like toys to be picked up played with. @un_mineaction #afghanistan #mineaction #children #kids #mines #landmines #explosivehazards #minefree

An deminer prepares his site for mine clearance operations in the mountains on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. @un_mineaction

bumpy rides with the @un_mineaction #Afghanistan team

Young boys playing volleyball in a village on the outskirts of Bagram, Afghanistan. Everywhere you go in the world you’ll find kids playing with each other - from Syrian refugee camps to the alleys of Chicago. Its a reoccurring theme here on this feed because it’s also something I always stop and shoot when working a location. Kids being kids and enjoying life despite whatever might be going on around them. #afghanistan

a break from an alleyway football match somewhere near Bagram, Afghanistan #thatsmilethough

Nazmeena, 18, poses for a portrait at a family friend's house in Kunar district, Afghanistan. Her leg was badly damaged by a rocket attack five years ago which resulted in it being shorter than the other leg. Nazmeena received a boot riser and rehabilitation from the local UNMAS funded clinic which have helped her regain much of the mobility lost in due to the injury. A gallery containing some of this work opened this week at the United Nations and will be in New York for a month before traveling to Geneva. #minefree #imad2018 @un_mineaction

An UNMAS funded demining team packs up equipment after completing their day’s clearance operations in the mountains on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan. The gallery containing some of this work opened last night at the United Nations and will be in New York for a month before traveling to Geneva. #minefree #imad2018 @un_mineaction

Mohammad Ishaq, 28, works at a physical rehabilitation center funded by UNMAS in Kunar district, Afghanistan. Mohammad's right hand was injured by a missile attacks years ago. He’s been working at the clinic since 2011 where he builds prosthetics for patients who have lost limbs. The clinic is the only like it in the area and many patients I spoke with traveled hours to reach it. This afternoon at 6 PM EST I’ll be discussing some of the work @un_mineaction is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan at the opening of the exhibit for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine at the UN in New York. The gallery containing some of this work opens tonight and will be in New York where for a month before traveling to Geneva. #minefree #imad2018 @un_mineaction

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