In newly liberated Qayyarah, Iraq
When I entered Qayyarah I had a flashback of returning to my hometown of Baghdad after the invasion of 2003. I’d been away for many years as a refugee. 2003 was the first time back since I was a young child. In Qayyarah, as I had seen in Baghdad, there’s no security. People are scared […]Atheer Al-Yaseen and Chris Niles write for UNICEF:
When I entered Qayyarah I had a flashback of returning to my hometown of Baghdad after the invasion of 2003. I’d been away for many years as a refugee. 2003 was the first time back since I was a young child.
In Qayyarah, as I had seen in Baghdad, there’s no security. People are scared and shocked. There are dead bodies in the street, and the city is littered with improvised explosive devices and mines. There are many military prisons, military graffiti, and white flags everywhere – on cars, trucks and the roofs of houses.
It was 48° C that day, and we could hardly breathe. Retreating armed groups had opened up oil pipes running through the town.
