“Suddenly we heard cries of ‘Allahu Akbar’, God is greatest, from the mosque,” Assam tells me. Most of the town’s inhabitants fled during its 15-month occupation by Isis – to nearby towns, to Baghdad, or farther afield in Iraq. The death toll from the occupation includes 20 civilians murdered by Isis, as well as 175 peshmerga and 40 Asayesh, Kurdish security forces. Kurdish security forces estimate that around 400 fighters occupied Jalawla, and many moved their families in. In the aftermath of the conflict with Isis, Iraqi Kurdistan has increased its territory by 40%.

Source: The Guardian December 03, 2016 09:00 UTC