Audio: 1. Checkpoint before Mosul 2. Phone call in car 3. Checkpoint 4. Inside Khazir refugee camp near Mosul
  • 5 days Inside Iraq and the KRG, June 2014
    Photos got published on DEMOTIX, CORBIS, ZENITH, VICE, the Guardian, der Freitag and Jungle World.
    Slideshow build for 1280px width. Fullscreen recommended.
    All Pics by Boris Niehaus aka. JUST (1JUST.de) under Creative Commons by nc 4.0.
  • My College Dyfed Loesche and me arrived in Erbil
    in the autonomous Kurdistan-Region (KRG) of Iraq on the 19th of June 2014.
  • On 9 June 2014, over 30.000 iraqi Soldiers just turned and ran
    when 800 ISIS Fighters attacked Mosul, the 2nd biggest city in Iraq.
    They seized around 429 million US$ while looting the central Bank and a number of Blackhawk helicopters and cargo planes on Mosul Airport.
  • But not all Equipment left behind by the iraqi Army
    fell into the Hands of the Terrorists.
    Luckily the PESHMERGA (armed kurdish Fighters) stood against ISIS and reoccupied the abandoned iraqi Bases.
  • By now the PESHMERGA are the only Army
    not only protecting Kurds, but Shia, Sunnis, Christians and Yazidis in the KRG.
  • The PESH also needed to expand their Territory.
    to Kirkuk for example, wich is officially not Part of the KRG.
  • PESHMERGA at the last Checkpoint outside Kirkuk
    right before the ISIS.
  • Well protected by many Soldiers
    and this T-55.
  • The Commander of the Tank pointing into the Direction of ISIS.
    Just this little Channel lies between them. ISIS mostly attacks by night.
  • The Next Day we passed endless queues
    in front of the gas-stations.
  • These Pictures should get worse in the next couple of Days.
    This gas-shortage was a direct result of the ongoing Conflict.
  • Passing Checkpoints
    on your Way to the Khazir refugee camp near Mosul.
  • Khazir, wich is only a transition-camp
    for people who just fled out of Mosul, holds 2000 poeople by now.
  • ..but even when we visited the camp on the following day
    it already grew by 50%.
  • Building Tents and other Infrasructure.
    Like Poles for electricity.
  • Nuaf al Kadir has been forced to come here
    with his wife and 10 Children.
  • Suddently the politician Ahmed Chalabi arrived
    in his heavy armed Convoi.
  • ..talking to the People in the Camp.
  • My College Dyfed talking to a Refugee
    who happens to be an english-teacher in Mosul.
  • On our last Day we teamed up with RISE Foundation,
    an NGO based in Erbil serving Syrian refugees.
    Together we head to a refugee camp in the City of Akre.
  • In contrast to other camps, Akre doesnt have tents.
    It´s set up in old Barracks wich later also been used as a Prison by Saddam.
  • Inside the home of Hassan and Fatima
    who fled from Damascus.
  • Lorin (27) is a former Art-teacher and now a Refugee.
    One day she painted this Wall wich was the initial for the Castle-Art-Project by RISE.
    The Text ist saying: "I want home".
  • The Castle-Art-Project brings together the Kids from the Camp
    who than discuss Topics they´re going to paint on the Walls later.
  • Portrait of Masoud Barzani, President of the KRG since 2005.
  • An other painted Wall inside the Camp.
  • When the Kids were asked to draw Sketches for the Walls
    some came up with the following:
  • Thanks for watching. More Photos can be found on Demotix.
    Please visit my Website or Facebook for Infos on future Travels into the Region.
    All Photos by Boris Niehaus (aka. Just) under Creative Commony BY NC ND 4.0. - Mail: hey@1just.de
    Kindly supported by Open Walls Gallery Berlin and ATM-Galerie Berlin.