The Fall of Mosul
On January 2014, ISIL took control of Fallujah and Ramadi, inciting conflict with the US trained and equipped Iraqi Army. On 4 June, the insurgents began their efforts to capture Mosul. The Iraqi army had 30,000 soldiers and another 30,000 federal police stationed in the city, facing a 1,500-member attacking force. However, after six days of fighting, the city, Mosul International Airport, and the helicopters located there all fell under ISIL’s control. An estimated 500,000 civilians fled from the city due to the conflict.
Travelling with a writer in support of the Assyrian Aid Society we arrived in Northern Iraq just after the fall of Mosul and the evacuation of Qaragosh, a large Christian majority town located around 32 km southeast of the city of Mosul. The primary purpose of our mission was documentation and reporting, however, we also raised money for much need medical supplies, volunteered with child protection and worked as a media liaison on behalf of the refugees.