Returning home to Iraq’s war-torn city of Ramadi means facing hidden dangers
After more than a year away from the war-ravaged Iraqi city of Ramadi, Osama Ismail felt it was safe enough to return to check on the condition of his abandoned home. The government, after all, had declared the city "liberated" from Islamic State extremists. Ismail, a father of four, walked through the house last month surveying the damage, eventually reaching the bedroom […]Nabih Bulos writes for the LA Times:
After more than a year away from the war-ravaged Iraqi city of Ramadi, Osama Ismail felt it was safe enough to return to check on the condition of his abandoned home.
The government, after all, had declared the city "liberated" from Islamic State extremists.
Ismail, a father of four, walked through the house last month surveying the damage, eventually reaching the bedroom he shared with his wife. They had left clothes and other items behind in their rush to leave the city and he was curious to see what remained.
Then, an explosion. Family members said the blast threw the 42-year-old teacher against a wall and killed him instantly.
The house, local officials said, had been booby-trapped with an improvised explosive device by Islamic State fighters.
