At Mosul waterfalls, Iraqis savor small joys of post-Islamic State life
Crowds of Iraqis flocked to the waterfalls of eastern Mosul on Friday to savor simple freedoms like dancing or wearing colorful clothes that were strictly banned during almost three years of Islamic State rule. Music blasted from tall speakers mounted on pickup trucks and mini-vans. Children splashed in the water in the city's Shallalat (Waterfalls) […]Ahmed Aboulenein writes for Reuters:
Crowds of Iraqis flocked to the waterfalls of eastern Mosul on Friday to savor simple freedoms like dancing or wearing colorful clothes that were strictly banned during almost three years of Islamic State rule.
Music blasted from tall speakers mounted on pickup trucks and mini-vans. Children splashed in the water in the city's Shallalat (Waterfalls) district or rode bikes, horses and donkeys in the surrounding park.
It was like a mass picnic, with about 2,000 people out enjoying the sunshine, while fighting between U.S.-backed forces and Islamist militants raged only 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away in the part of Mosul west of the Tigris River.
