Pet pigeons take flight in Iraq’s Mosul as militants retreat
For the first time in over two years, flocks of white and grey pigeons can be seen circling Mosul’s rooftops. Among the many rules imposed by the Islamic State group when it seized the northern Iraqi city was a ban on breeding or flying the birds, which many Iraqis keep as pets or raise for […]Susannah George and Mstyslav Chernov write for AP:
For the first time in over two years, flocks of white and grey pigeons can be seen circling Mosul’s rooftops.
Among the many rules imposed by the Islamic State group when it seized the northern Iraqi city was a ban on breeding or flying the birds, which many Iraqis keep as pets or raise for food. The extremists feared young men practicing the hobby would neglect their religious studies or spy on female neighbors from the rooftops.
Many Mosul residents slaughtered their flocks or confined them to cages, fearing detention or death if they were found out — but 17-year-old Mustafa Othman couldn’t bring himself to do it.
