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Gallery|Humanitarian Crises

‘In our village, ISIL executed hundreds of people ‘

As the battle for Mosul enters its second month, thousands of Iraqis continue to flee ISIL.

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The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
'We have sources in the villages that tell us who are ISIL members and the families who supported them,' said one of the Sunni armed group in Qayyara. 'We have to check all the men when they escape from the villages. Some ISIL members have shaved their beards because they want to blend in with the fleeing civilians." [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
By Alessio Romenzi
Published On 22 Nov 2016

Qayyara, near Mosul – Since the start of the military offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group on October 17, the number of internally displaced people has risen to nearly 30,000, according to the United Nations.

During the past week alone, more than 10,000 refugees were forced to flee the areas surrounding Mosul. Some on foot, others in small boats crossing the Tigris river.

Due to the growing crises of displaced people, many camps have already been set up across Iraq, such as Dibaga and al-Khazir. More camps are still under construction, including Hassan Sham, a camp on the road to Mosul in the eastern part of the city. 

In the past three days, nearly 1,200 families have arrived at the Hassan Sham camp, according to Sadiq Mohammed, the camp’s deputy director. Inside the camp, many woman are seen removing the black veil which ISIL imposed on them over the past two years.

This is also the first time that many families are able to reunite amid tears and hugs.

The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
The Sunni armed group in Qayyara, south of Mosul, take positions outside the barracks where the alleged ISIL members are held. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
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The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
According to Hussein, an Iraqi civilian fleeing the frontline, ISIL forced dozens of families to follow them during the past weeks.'In our village hundreds of people have been executed,' said Hussein. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Husain's mother and some family members escaped from Hamam al Alil town, near Mosul. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
To slow the Iraqi army's advance, ISIL set at least a dozen of Qayyara's oil wells on fire, according to the United Nations. In September and October, ISIL launched at least three chemical attack, including setting fire to the chemical plant at Mishraq, in the south of Mosul. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Children playing in Mosul. For more than two years, children in the area did not go to school because ISIL closed classrooms down forcing children to attend only ISIL-supervised schools. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
'ISIL gave me a fine of 300,000 Iraqi dinars (about $260) for smoking and told me it was just a warning, and the next time they would cut my head,' said Youssef Sadi Latif. 'The same people who forbade us to smoke, exploited all our oil and sold it on the black market. Today we have nothing, no house, no job.' [CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
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The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
An Iraqi army fighter shaves on the banks of the Tigris. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
The Dibaga camp is an hour's drive south of Irbil, and home to more than 30,000 people who have been displaced by ISIL in Mosul. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Al Khazer refugee camp, 30km east of Mosul, had an extension added recently and it is supporting nearly 10,000, with hundreds more showing up each day. The UN says about 40,000 people have been displaced since the start of the Mosul offensive, excluding thousands of others from nearby villages forced back into Mosul by retreating ISIL fighters who use them as human shields. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]
The battle of Mosul/ Please Do Not Use
Newly displaced people arrive at a checkpoint in Qayyara, south of Mosul. [Alessio Romenzi/CAPTA/Al Jazeera]