Escaping ISIS: risking their lives鈥o stay alive
As the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS enters its most dangerous phase, desperate Iraqis are fleeing the city despite the danger of rockets, booby traps and snipers.
As the battle to retake Mosul from ISIS enters its most dangerous phase, desperate Iraqis are fleeing the city despite the danger of rockets, booby traps and snipers.
They waited until night fell to flee ISIS. Amira* opens the door slightly to check that fighters weren鈥檛 patrolling outside her house, which was partially damaged by a bomb.
It would be an extremely risky escape鈥攖he family was caught once already trying to leave Mosul, where an ongoing battle to retake Iraq鈥檚 second largest city has put a million civilians in the crosshairs. They were lucky鈥攎any are executed if they are caught, but Amira was forced to pay a fine and her husband beaten.
The last two years under ISIS rule has been a 鈥渄isaster,鈥 says 40-year-old Amira, whose two brothers have been killed by ISIS militants.
鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 dress under the black cover鈥攖wo layers鈥攁nd cover my eyes, I would be punished,鈥 she says.
Her husband Nabil* adds: 鈥淚SIS would kill me if I shaved my beard. They would cut my head off. Because we were afraid of them, we did what they wanted.鈥
The one thing the couple refused to do was send their 10-year-old daughter to school under ISIS rule, as students are taught with ISIS鈥 curriculum. Amira cites an example of one arithmetic lesson, which incorporated shootings.
As the battle for Mosul enters its most dangerous phase, there are growing concerns about the condition of the 700,000 civilians trapped in the western part of the city.
Food, water and other basic necessities are in short supply. Prices for whatever is available have soared鈥攋ust one egg costs over $1, about 15 times the going rate elsewhere. Despite the risk, more than 5,000 civilians have fled every day since February 26, according to the International Organization for Migration.
"We must not forget that men, women and children inside western Mosul have suffered for more than two years under ISIS brutality," says Wendy Taeuber, the 探花精选鈥檚 country director for Iraq. "Civilians must be kept out of the firing line and given the opportunity to escape the city safely."
Amira and her family had to plan their clandestine escape with great care. Mobile phones are forbidden: In Mosul, merely possessing a SIM card is punishable by death. Nevertheless, a neighbor kept a 鈥渟ecret鈥 phone, so Amira was able to talk to her brother, who resides in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
"The battle was coming to us," she recalls him say during their brief conversation.
With just a few belongings stuffed into their daughter's backpack, the family walked for hours across mostly deserted terrain until they reached what they refer to as an "ISIS fire zone."
"No one was there, but we ran as fast as we could until we met the [Iraqi] army, holding white flags and a torch,鈥 Nabil recalls. "I thought my daughter was not going to make it because she is young鈥ut we made it to safety.鈥
We must not forget that men, women and children inside western Mosul have suffered for more than two years under ISIS brutality.
After passing through two security checks, the family found refuge in the Khazer displacement camp, where aid agencies like the 探花精选 are providing emergency supplies and access to health care to thousands of Iraqi families. There, Amira and her husband were reunited with relatives who had escaped earlier.
鈥淲hen we met them we cried for sadness and happiness at the same time,鈥 Amira says.
While the family has found some respite, they worry about relatives left behind, including Amira鈥檚 eldest daughter and four young grandchildren.
The battle to retake western Mosul is expected to last several more months鈥攖he 探花精选 and other aid agencies are preparing for another 200,000 Iraqis to flee their homes.
鈥淓verything must be done to keep civilians out of the firing line,鈥 says the 探花精选鈥檚 Wendy Taeuber, 鈥渁nd as Iraqi forces reach individual neighborhoods, people must be given the opportunity to escape the city safely."
*Names were changed for privacy reasons