A year on from Iraqi forces announcing the “liberation” of Mosul from the Islamic State group, the scars of the bloody nine-month offensive to oust the militants are still visible in the city.
Years of war and jihadist rule have left their mark on the city of Mosul, giving rise to a string of new social challenges that include dozens of orphans beginning for money after losing their parents to violence.
When the Islamic State group took Mosul by storm in 2014, turning Iraq’s second city into their stronghold, artist Khalif Mahmoud had to think fast, stashing his paintings and drawings inside a wall of his house, knowing they would be destroyed if the jihadists found them. After the city was prized from the IS group’s clutches last July, he returned home… and found his art works intact right where he’d left them.
Famed Iraqi maestro and cello player Karim Wasfi performs in Mosul’s war-ravaged Old City. Wasfi is known for turning up with his cello to play in the aftermath of bombings in the capital Baghdad, alleviating pain through the soothing power of music.
Iraqis take to cafes and parks in the cities of Mosul and Baghdad to watch matches in the World Cup. With the World Cup in full swing, people around the globe are glued to TV screens — but for some Iraqis, absorbing the full experience is proving trickier than confronting Lionel Messi on an epic dribble. At around $100 (over 85 euros), a pay TV subscription for the month-long football extravaganza is out of reach for most, as average monthly salaries range between $400 and $700.
A year ago, 15-year-old Nour Tai took part in a radio show with a mission: showcasing the skills of Mosul’s youth after years of jihadist rule and a months-long battle for the city. Today, Iraqi forces have completely ousted the IS group from the city and Nour has finally achieved her dream: every Wednesday she hosts her own show on One FM, a station created 6 months after the total recovery of Mosul in July.
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits West Mosul, less than a year after the city’s liberation. The visit marks Jolie’s 61st mission – and her fifth visit to Iraq – with the UN Refugee Agency since 2001. She arrives in the city on the second day of the Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan.
Here’s the latest for Friday, June 15th: China raises import duties on U.S. goods; Two cooling towers imploded in Florida; UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visits Mosul; Afghan President Ashraf Ghani extends ceasefire. (June 16)
Stay up to date with daily round ups: http://smarturl.it/APTopStories
Subscribe for more Breaking News: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats.
AP’s commitment to independent, comprehensive journalism has deep roots. Founded in 1846, AP has covered all the major news events of the past 165 years, providing high-quality, informed reporting of everything from wars and elections to championship games and royal weddings. AP is the largest and most trusted source of independent news and information.
Today, AP employs the latest technology to collect and distribute content – we have daily uploads covering the latest and breaking news in the world of politics, sport and entertainment. Join us in a conversation about world events, the newsgathering process or whatever aspect of the news universe you find interesting or important. Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress
http://www.ap.org/
https://plus.google.com/+AP/
https://www.facebook.com/APNews
Tweets by AP
At night young men in Mosul walk the streets beating drums to announce the pre-dawn breakfast Ramadan, just one of the traditions specific to the Muslim holy month in the city that has returned since the ouster of the Islamic State group last July. The Islamic State (IS) group which controlled the city for three years before its ouster last July had banned drumming, along with other Ramadan traditions that make up the festive spirit of the dawn-to-dusk fasting month.
Atop an enormous mound of rubble under the blistering sun in Iraq’s second city Mosul, rescue crews and police chip away at a grim but vital task. Some 10 months after dislodging the Islamic State group, they are still extracting bodies from the ruins of the shattered Old City.
