View allAll Photos Tagged Daesh
A U.S. Soldier looks through a scope at the Turkish military forces while on a security patrol outside Manbij, Syria, June 28, 2018. The U.S. and Turkish militaries conduct independent, coordinated patrols on either side of the demarcation line.(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy R. Koster)
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
A few kilometers outside of Dohuk, Iraq, what was supposed to be a five-star hotel has become a nightmarish makeshift refugee camp. After ISIS attacked Sinjar, massacring and enslaving the local Yazidi people, a few of those fortunate enough to escape have sought refuge at the massive “Hotel Kayar” (literally “place where one receives friends). With construction stalled in its early stages, the concrete structure is an inhospitable environment for the 63 Yazidi families who now call it home. Children play with no railing or walls to prevent them from falling. “We just want tents like the other refugees,” said one man, after a storm recently ravaged the little infrastructure they managed to set up in the two months they’ve been here. With a cold winter right around the corner and scarce food and water, the future looks dire.And the kids keep smiling...
© Eric Lafforgue
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
A few kilometers outside of Dohuk, Iraq, what was supposed to be a five-star hotel has become a nightmarish makeshift refugee camp. After ISIS attacked Sinjar, massacring and enslaving the local Yazidi people, a few of those fortunate enough to escape have sought refuge at the massive “Hotel Kayar” (literally “place where one receives friends). With construction stalled in its early stages, the concrete structure is an inhospitable environment for the 63 Yazidi families who now call it home. Children play with no railing or walls to prevent them from falling. “We just want tents like the other refugees,” said one man, after a storm recently ravaged the little infrastructure they managed to set up in the two months they’ve been here. With a cold winter right around the corner and scarce food and water, the future looks dire.And the kids keep smiling...
© Eric Lafforgue
Rund 150 Menschen folgen in Berlin einem Aufruf unter dem Motto "Keine Deutsche Beteiligung am Krieg in Syrien", um gegen den Einsatz deutscher Soldaten in Syrien und die NATO, USA, und alles mögliche zu demonstrieren. Nachdem die angekündigten rechtsaußen Redner Kathrin Oertel (Ex-Pegida) und Jürgen Elsässer (Compact) nicht kommen konnten oder wollten, trat u.a. Christoph Hörstel auf. Dieser tourt seit Jahren als Werber für das syrische Regime von Baschar al-Assad durch das Land und trat auch auf der antisemitischen, iranischen Propaganga-Show des Al Quds Marsches in Berlin auf.
Der Protestzug zieht vom Vorplatz des Hauptbahnhofes zum Brandenburger Tor. Während des Zuges sprechen diverse Teilnehmer u.a. aus Erfurt und Halle, dabei wird die Bundesrepublik wahlweise mit dem nationalsozialisten Deutschland des "3. Reiches" oder der DDR verglichen.
Die Veranstaltung ist eng mit EnDgAmE verknüpft. Auch das Bandmitlied der rechten HipHop-Gruppe "Die Bandbreite" Marcel Wojnarowicz spricht und hält schließlich am Brandenburger Tor einen Ein-Mann-Auftritt seiner Band ab, wobei es einen wüsten Ritt durch die gängigen Verschwörungstheorien in Bezug auf 9/11, den arabischen Frühling, Daesh, Syrien und diverse andere vorgebliche Verbrechen der USA gibt. Zudem hagelt es Beschimpfungen der Presse und der "Antifa".
A message to world leaders: the Iranian concept of Imam Mehdi is self-fabricated, misleading, distorting, self-concocted and mischievous. It is fuelled by a filthy mentality and agenda. The real Imam Mehdi is for everybody. He will be friends with Jews, Christians, Hindus and Muslims alike. He will love everybody. He is not an enemy of Israel, America or anybody else.
Unidad de #helis de las Fuerzas Aeromóviles #EjércitodeTierra que desplegará con la coalición para apoyar a #Irak en su lucha contra el #Daesh, en la Operación Inherente Resolve. @CJTFOIR .
🇪🇸
#SomostuEjército
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
A few kilometers outside of Dohuk, Iraq, what was supposed to be a five-star hotel has become a nightmarish makeshift refugee camp. After ISIS attacked Sinjar, massacring and enslaving the local Yazidi people, a few of those fortunate enough to escape have sought refuge at the massive “Hotel Kayar” (literally “place where one receives friends). With construction stalled in its early stages, the concrete structure is an inhospitable environment for the 63 Yazidi families who now call it home. Children play with no railing or walls to prevent them from falling. “We just want tents like the other refugees,” said one man, after a storm recently ravaged the little infrastructure they managed to set up in the two months they’ve been here. With a cold winter right around the corner and scarce food and water, the future looks dire.And the kids keep smiling...
© Eric Lafforgue
Rund 150 Menschen folgen in Berlin einem Aufruf unter dem Motto "Keine Deutsche Beteiligung am Krieg in Syrien", um gegen den Einsatz deutscher Soldaten in Syrien und die NATO, USA, und alles mögliche zu demonstrieren. Nachdem die angekündigten rechtsaußen Redner Kathrin Oertel (Ex-Pegida) und Jürgen Elsässer (Compact) nicht kommen konnten oder wollten, trat u.a. Christoph Hörstel auf. Dieser tourt seit Jahren als Werber für das syrische Regime von Baschar al-Assad durch das Land und trat auch auf der antisemitischen, iranischen Propaganga-Show des Al Quds Marsches in Berlin auf.
Der Protestzug zieht vom Vorplatz des Hauptbahnhofes zum Brandenburger Tor. Während des Zuges sprechen diverse Teilnehmer u.a. aus Erfurt und Halle, dabei wird die Bundesrepublik wahlweise mit dem nationalsozialisten Deutschland des "3. Reiches" oder der DDR verglichen.
Die Veranstaltung ist eng mit EnDgAmE verknüpft. Auch das Bandmitlied der rechten HipHop-Gruppe "Die Bandbreite" Marcel Wojnarowicz spricht und hält schließlich am Brandenburger Tor einen Ein-Mann-Auftritt seiner Band ab, wobei es einen wüsten Ritt durch die gängigen Verschwörungstheorien in Bezug auf 9/11, den arabischen Frühling, Daesh, Syrien und diverse andere vorgebliche Verbrechen der USA gibt. Zudem hagelt es Beschimpfungen der Presse und der "Antifa". Im Bild: Marcel Wojnarowicz (Die Bandbreite).
Armed Forces Day National Event Held in Cleethorpes - Sat 25 Jun 2016
Image shows: The Royal Air Force College Cranwell Band followed by members of The Queen's Colour Squadron (63 Sqn RAF Regiment)
Celebrations took place to mark the eighth annual Armed Forces Day, honouring the work and dedication of our brave Servicemen and women deployed around the world. More than 250 events including parades, military displays and community fetes are took place right across the country to say thank you to the Armed Forces community, including Regulars, Reserves, their families and veterans past and present. From fighting Daesh in the Middle East to training troops in Nigeria and supporting NATO exercises, the UK’s Armed Forces are on duty 24/7. Armed Forces Day is a chance for Britain to acknowledge their hard work and sacrifice. The National Event was held in the seaside town Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, attended by His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent representing the Queen and the Royal Family. Other guests included the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, The Rt Hon Earl Howe, the Commander of Joint Forces Command, General Sir Chris Deverell KCB MBE ADC and the Worshipful Mayor of North East Lincolnshire Christina McGilligan-Fell. The National Event began with a spectacular display from the Red Arrows, an amphibious display on the beach from the Royal Marines and a parachute drop from the RAF Falcons. A parade of Service personnel, veterans and cadets then marched down Cleethorpes seafront, from the North Promenade to the Boating Lake, followed by a motorcade of motorcyclists from the Armed Forces Bikers and the Royal British Legion bikers. The Duke of Kent took the salute from the parade on behalf of The Queen and Royal Family. Afternoon celebrations in Cleethorpes continued across the seafront with a variety of military displays including the White Helmets Motorcycle Display Team. Overhead the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a Chinook and the Royal Navy Black Cats Helicopters entertained the crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------
© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: Sgt Ross Tilly RAF
Image 45159887.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
Use of this image is subject to the terms and conditions of the MoD News Licence at www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/fotoweb/20121001_Crown_copyrigh...
For latest news visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
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Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
The same JDM-only car with "unfortunate" name due to association with world's fearsome terror organisation. The owner told the truth when he opened the window and talk to me: this car is bought in Jakarta, locally-owned, used by local tax officer, but registered in Malang for unknown reason.
Sebuah MPV JDM Toyota yang namanya "tidak lagi diterima" karena namanya sama dengan singkatan organisasi teror paling ditakuti di dunia: NIIS/Daesh. Pemilik mobil akhirnya mengakui ke saya: mobil ini dibeli di Jakarta (diduga 2007), milik asli krama Bali, digunakan sebagai mobil kantor Samsat setempat, anehnya mobil ini berplat Malang.
Ab heute ist Frühling 🌸
Der Gummisalat fängt an zu blühen - es sind wilde Geranien! Na sowas!
Die Leute sind wie ausgewechselt und kommen alle raus.
Ich wollte in der Geisterstadt ruhig ein Buch lesen, an einem windgeschützten Platz.
Satz mit x... alle Beach Boys sind auch da. 😎
Der erste, ein Berliner Eritreer (von weitem als deutsche Kartoffel zu erkennen, mit Dortmunder Union 🍺 und Jacke von ZARA) war ja noch ganz witzig. Abgeschoben wegen Schengen schlägt er sich hier jetzt durch - mal gibt's Arbeit, mal gibt's keine - was? Security? Dich frag ich nicht nach deiner Telefonnummer.
Die nächsten zwei waren dann aber echt schmierig, hartnäckig und nervten... 😝
Der vierte, der Daesh-Typ vom Hafen, der mich letztens schon mit seinem finsteren Blick so erschreckt hat , kam jetzt mit dem Radl 🚲 an und fragte, ob ich hier in Trapani eine Aisha kenne?
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
Na, wer weiß, vielleicht hatte der letztens nur Stress oder schlechte Laune...
Und Salaam Rajab - da steht der Hilal 🌙 über dem Supermarkt
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
Unidad de #helis de las Fuerzas Aeromóviles #EjércitodeTierra que desplegará con la coalición para apoyar a #Irak en su lucha contra el #Daesh, en la Operación Inherente Resolve. @CJTFOIR .
🇪🇸
#SomostuEjército
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
Campo com mais de 20 mil refugiados Yazidi, uma minoria de cultura politeista anterior ao islamismo, principais vitimas do Estado Islamico.
Viagem com Talita Ribeiro para o Curdistao Iraquiano.
Einweisung des Kampfjets Tornado auf die Parkposition nach dem Einsatzaufklärungsflug im Rahmen der Mission Counter Daesh auf der Air Base Incirlik, am 24.02.2016.
Rund 150 Menschen protestieren in Berlin mit einem Demonstrationszug vom Alexanderplatz zum Brandenburger Tor gegen das seit 1993 bestehende Verbot der Kurdischen Arbeiterpartei (PKK) in Deutschland.
In Reden wird darauf hingewiesen, dass insbesondere die Schwesterorganisationen der PKK, die YPG und YPJ in der nordsyrischen Provinz Rojava einen unschätzbaren Dienst im Kamp gegen Daesh leistet. Dies sogar im Zusammenspiel mit den USA.
Zudem sei Deutschland neben der Türkei das einzige Land, in dem die PKK verboten sei.
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
3 August 2014 will remain the day the life of the yazedis has changed. Up to 200,000 yazedis people have been displaced from their homes in Sinjar City and the surrounding towns and villages when ISIS arrived by surprise .
The islamist group asked the residents to convert or die...Hundreds of Yazidis were executed as they refused. Most of the people left the village on time, fleeing on foot in the mountains, without nothing and most of the time without water or food , under a 50 degrees temperature. They walked for 7 days, including the babies and the elders. Many were killed, wounded or captured on the way. Now thousands are in Duhok in Kurdistan, and towns like Zoar when they have found a shelter for the winter. Some still have contacts thanks to the mobile phones with the relatives captured or trapped in Sinjar, but many do not have any news of their relatives and fear the worst...Until now, the town od Sinjar is seized by ISIS, where hundreds of Yazidis remain stranded months after fleeing their homes.But Kurdish peshmergas have regained lot of the ground lost to ISIS with the help of the U.S. air strikes. Sinjar is a strategic place as it would put the peshmergas on three sides of Mosul, the largest city under ISIS rule in northern Iraq.
© Eric Lafforgue
Mehrere Dutzend Menschen haben sich an einer Kundgebung am Fuße des Berliner Brandenburger Tores beteiligt, um die Belagerung und die Angriffe der türkischen Polizei auf die Stadt Silvan zu verurteilen. Zudem wird Freiheit für den PKK-Führer Abdullah Öcalan gefordert.
Die Protestierenden sehen die Auseinandersetzungen in Silvan in einer Reihe mit Angriffen des türkischen Staates auf Kurden und kurdische Organisationen seit Staatspräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogans AKP ihre absolute Parlamentsmehrheit verloren hatte. Im Gegenzug hat auch die kurdische Arbeiterpartei PKK ihre Waffenruhe aufgekündigt und turkische Einrichtungen angegriffen.
Auf der Kundgebung wird auch dem Schicksal der Jesiden im irakischen Shingal gedacht. Die Jesiden sehen sich massiver Gewalt ausgesetzt, seit der sogenannte Islamische Staat ihr Gebiet im Irak überrannt hat. Zur Zeit versuchen kurdische Milizen den IS mit einer Großoffensive aus dem Shingal zurückzudrängen.
Some peshmergas take me to the front lines of the war against ISIS. I find myself in the Taza area, just south of Kirkuk, on the road to Baghdad.
According to them, very few journalists come here. Some even said that I was the only was they saw. Nonetheless, it is a key strategic location. It is very dangerous there since Kirkuk is divided: Kurds in the north, ISIS in the south. All along the front lines you can see different units roaming about little traditional houses. Some are kept by old Kurdish vets from the 1980s wars.
Many vets have returned to war, despite being well past middle-aged and having children and grandchildren. Some even behind comfortable lives in Europe to come back, like a Swiss colonel I met. For them, it is their duty to fight for their region. Despite being autonomous and having a large secessionist movement, Kurdistan is not recognized as a state distinct from Iraq. “Some terrorists come along and now the whole world calls them the ‘Islamic State’,” complains one peshmerga, “For decades we have been trying to make the state of Kurdistan and we’ve gotten nothing!”
They have very few weapons, most of them are pre-Cold War AK47s. Some even date back to 1960. They still work, but the Kurdish forces ask for more efficient guns since ISIS has the latest weapons taken (or given) from the Iraqi army who in turn was supplied by coalition forces.
Many vets have only one working eye. The other was lost in previous wars. Once night falls, it becomes very difficult to monitor the 1000km long border. They don’t even have night vision equipment.
Last week it rained for 5 days, and it was impossible to see or hear anything. Some ISIS guys tried to gain territory, but the Kurds successfully fought them off. Their 4 wheel drives were stuck in the mud while ISIS’s brand new hummers were able to move about without issue. From the front line you can see ISIS flags. Since they told me to pack light, I didn’t bring a zoom lens. Sorry! You can see the smoke from their kitchen and even see men running from house to house.
ISIS is only 500 meters from the Kurdish position but nobody seems afraid. Peshmerga know that death is part of their fate, and even if they look like an army from another century, they will defend themselves and their country to the very end. For them, it is the highest honor to die for Kurdistan.
They protect the Baghdad road, but a few weeks ago lost it. After heavy fighting, they regained it, killing 3 Chechen ISIS fighters in the process.
Since peshmerga don’t have armored cars, it is very dangerous for them to go around safely.
The car I took to go on the front lines was very slow and made in the 80s. If we were chased by ISIS cars, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. In one day, all the materiel I saw included AK47s, a tank, an RPG, and a few gun old machines. Even if the pehsmergas say that this equipment works well, they are disappointed not to receive new ones, as Europe and USA promised.
The day after my visit, France made lot of bombings in the area, as ISIS was too close. Peshmergas take a lot of pictures, not only for souvenirs, but also to fight ISIS on the new front: social media.
They fear the roads they do not know well as ISIS pays the local farmers to put mines. Even in times of war, peshmergas are among the most welcoming people in the world. They regularly offer food and drinks.
When it was time for me to go back to the safety of Erbil, circumstances changed. The north road was closed because of an ISIS attack. The only way out was to send me through the south road that crossed Kirkuk. Let’s just say that safety there was not ideal. I had to hide my camera, and we crossed Kirkuk with an escort of armed peshmergas and a civilian car.
The soldiers were all nervous since Kirkuk is very dangerous, especially at the check points. As soon as a car was driving next to ours for too long, they were shouting at the driver to go away.
If a man was crossing the road too slowly, they threatened to hit him. These methods, employed by ISIS suicide bombers, have claimed the lives of hundred in Kirkuk. Once on the Kurdish side, they found a Kurdish taxi driver to bring me safely back to Erbil.
© Eric Lafforgue
Campo de refugiados mantido pela igreja catolica, para refugiados catolicos vitimas do DAESH-ISIS.
Viagem com Talita Ribeiro para o Curdistao Iraquiano.
Supported by US of A, bombed by Turkey in Syria. The flag is not to be shown in Rhineland-Palatinate, pictures of Abdullah Ocalan are not to be shown in Rhineland-Palatinate. Strangely the YPG is widely hailed as very efficient opponents to Daesh in Syria.
Rund 150 Menschen folgen in Berlin einem Aufruf unter dem Motto "Keine Deutsche Beteiligung am Krieg in Syrien", um gegen den Einsatz deutscher Soldaten in Syrien und die NATO, USA, und alles mögliche zu demonstrieren. Nachdem die angekündigten rechtsaußen Redner Kathrin Oertel (Ex-Pegida) und Jürgen Elsässer (Compact) nicht kommen konnten oder wollten, trat u.a. Christoph Hörstel auf. Dieser tourt seit Jahren als Werber für das syrische Regime von Baschar al-Assad durch das Land und trat auch auf der antisemitischen, iranischen Propaganga-Show des Al Quds Marsches in Berlin auf.
Der Protestzug zieht vom Vorplatz des Hauptbahnhofes zum Brandenburger Tor. Während des Zuges sprechen diverse Teilnehmer u.a. aus Erfurt und Halle, dabei wird die Bundesrepublik wahlweise mit dem nationalsozialisten Deutschland des "3. Reiches" oder der DDR verglichen.
Die Veranstaltung ist eng mit EnDgAmE verknüpft. Auch das Bandmitlied der rechten HipHop-Gruppe "Die Bandbreite" Marcel Wojnarowicz spricht und hält schließlich am Brandenburger Tor einen Ein-Mann-Auftritt seiner Band ab, wobei es einen wüsten Ritt durch die gängigen Verschwörungstheorien in Bezug auf 9/11, den arabischen Frühling, Daesh, Syrien und diverse andere vorgebliche Verbrechen der USA gibt. Zudem hagelt es Beschimpfungen der Presse und der "Antifa".
Rund 150 Menschen protestieren in Berlin mit einem Demonstrationszug vom Alexanderplatz zum Brandenburger Tor gegen das seit 1993 bestehende Verbot der Kurdischen Arbeiterpartei (PKK) in Deutschland.
In Reden wird darauf hingewiesen, dass insbesondere die Schwesterorganisationen der PKK, die YPG und YPJ in der nordsyrischen Provinz Rojava einen unschätzbaren Dienst im Kamp gegen Daesh leistet. Dies sogar im Zusammenspiel mit den USA.
Zudem sei Deutschland neben der Türkei das einzige Land, in dem die PKK verboten sei.
Rund 150 Menschen protestieren in Berlin mit einem Demonstrationszug vom Alexanderplatz zum Brandenburger Tor gegen das seit 1993 bestehende Verbot der Kurdischen Arbeiterpartei (PKK) in Deutschland.
In Reden wird darauf hingewiesen, dass insbesondere die Schwesterorganisationen der PKK, die YPG und YPJ in der nordsyrischen Provinz Rojava einen unschätzbaren Dienst im Kamp gegen Daesh leistet. Dies sogar im Zusammenspiel mit den USA.
Zudem sei Deutschland neben der Türkei das einzige Land, in dem die PKK verboten sei.
Pictured are The Band of The Royal Marines about to perform their Sunset Ceremony...Armed Forces Day National Event Held In Cleethorpes - Sat 25 Jun 2016...Celebrations took place on the 25th June to mark the eighth annual Armed Forces Day, honouring the work and dedication of our brave Servicemen and women deployed around the world.. .More than 250 events including parades, military displays and community fetes are taking place right across the country to say thank you to the Armed Forces community, including Regulars, Reserves, their families and veterans past and present. . .From fighting Daesh in the Middle East to training troops in Nigeria and supporting NATO exercises, the UK’s Armed Forces are on duty 24/7. Armed Forces Day is a chance for Britain to acknowledge their hard work and sacrifice.. . .Other guests included the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, Defence Minister Lord Howe, the Commander of Joint Force Command General Sir Chris Deverell and the Worshipful Mayor of North East Lincolnshire Christina McGilligan-Fell. . .The National Event had crowds estimated at 120,000 began with a spectacular display from the Red Arrows, an amphibious display on the beach from the Royal Marines and a parachute drop from the RAF Falcons. A parade of Service personnel, veterans and cadets then marched down Cleethorpes seafront, from the North Promenade to the Boating Lake, followed by a motorcade of motorcyclists from the Armed Forces Bikers and the Royal British Legion bikers. . .The Duke of Kent took the salute from the parade on behalf of The Queen and Royal Family. Afternoon celebrations in Cleethorpes continued across the seafront with a variety of military displays including the White Helmets Motorcycle Display Team. Overhead the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a Chinook and the Royal Navy Black Cats Helicopters entertained the crowds.. ...
-------------------------------------------------------
© Crown Copyright 2014
Photographer: SAC Simon Armstrong
Image 45159875.jpg from www.defenceimages.mod.uk
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For latest news visit www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
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A few kilometers outside of Dohuk, Iraq, what was supposed to be a five-star hotel has become a nightmarish makeshift refugee camp. After ISIS attacked Sinjar, massacring and enslaving the local Yazidi people, a few of those fortunate enough to escape have sought refuge at the massive “Hotel Kayar” (literally “place where one receives friends). With construction stalled in its early stages, the concrete structure is an inhospitable environment for the 63 Yazidi families who now call it home. Children play with no railing or walls to prevent them from falling. “We just want tents like the other refugees,” said one man, after a storm recently ravaged the little infrastructure they managed to set up in the two months they’ve been here. With a cold winter right around the corner and scarce food and water, the future looks dire.And the kids keep smiling...
© Eric Lafforgue
3 August 2014 will remain the day the life of the yazedis has changed. Up to 200,000 yazedis people have been displaced from their homes in Sinjar City and the surrounding towns and villages when ISIS arrived by surprise .
The islamist group asked the residents to convert or die...Hundreds of Yazidis were executed as they refused. Most of the people left the village on time, fleeing on foot in the mountains, without nothing and most of the time without water or food , under a 50 degrees temperature. They walked for 7 days, including the babies and the elders. Many were killed, wounded or captured on the way. Now thousands are in Duhok in Kurdistan, and towns like Zoar when they have found a shelter for the winter. Some still have contacts thanks to the mobile phones with the relatives captured or trapped in Sinjar, but many do not have any news of their relatives and fear the worst...Until now, the town od Sinjar is seized by ISIS, where hundreds of Yazidis remain stranded months after fleeing their homes.But Kurdish peshmergas have regained lot of the ground lost to ISIS with the help of the U.S. air strikes. Sinjar is a strategic place as it would put the peshmergas on three sides of Mosul, the largest city under ISIS rule in northern Iraq.
© Eric Lafforgue
Poignantly connecting our past to our possible future, a "Don't Bomb Syria" placard has been left leaning against the "Women of World War II" monument on Whitehall during the anti-war protest organised by Stop the War Coalition.
Thousands attend "Don't Bomb Syria" anti-war protest at Downing Street: London 28/11/2015
In anticipation of MP's voting next week on whether or not the UK government should launch an air-strike campaign in Syria, thousands of anti-war protesters gathered outside Downing Street to voice their opposition to armed intervention in the region.
All photos © Pete Riches
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This month the International Organisation for Migration has carried out relief operations in areas newly retaken from Daesh around Mosul in Iraq, targeting newly displaced people who have fled to more stable areas. Last week, 110 full winter non-food relief item (NFI) kits were distributed, including blankets, heaters and carpets, to families in the town of Haj Ali. The kits were funded by the UK’s Department for International Development.
The UK is providing £14 million in humanitarian aid to help support up to 66,000 people in and around Mosul via IOM.
Picture: International Organisation for Migration / IOM Iraq
Under a cold, teeth shattering night our Baghdadi tour group passed through multiple security checks and entered an inner sanctum which would easily stun even the most jaded traveller. I found myself at Hazrat Ali's splendid Tomb and masjid in winter of 2015 with a group of Sunnis.
It was my first visit to one the holliest sites in Islam - a Mazar to the brave, 4th Khalifa of Islam, fateh Khyber, Son-in-law to Prophet Muhammad (salahu alihi wasalam), husband to Khatoon-e-Jannat Hazrat Bibi Fatima RA and father to that Greatest martyr of Islam, Hazrat Imam Hussain RA, the Imams of all Imams, Hazrat Ali Mula Mushkil Kusha, Sher-e-Khuda.
My feet trembled and my voice skipped a beat - nay, I was speechless - at my first sight of that Great warrior of Islam. One who never moved back and one who never collected any wealth. Hazrat Ali RA was the front soldier of Islam and the chief Advisor to 2nd Caliph, Hazrat Umer RA. He also advised Hazrat Usman RA on state matters as is reported in historical documents. He even sent his son to protect Hazrat Usman RA from Kharjees who had besieged him in his home in Medina Sharif.
This photograph I took next morning after a breakfast and a wonderful local kehwa just outside the mazar. Iraqi people are strict but friendly when it comes to photographer. But due to security concerns - in 2015 Daesh was all over Iraq and Syria supported by US, UK and Saudis - and this main entrance was the last place where you could take your mobile or camera.
I am planning a visit next year Insha ALLAH to Iraq, Syria and Jordan Insha ALLAH. May ALLAH help me.
Ya Ali madad !