Iraqi soldiers have reclaimed the city of Fallujah from the ISIS regime which lasted nearly two years. The battle, however, seems far from being over.
The city is quiet and eerie, trying to recover from the aftermath of one of the most brutal wars it has witnessed.
This video is an excerpt from Scott Anderson’s investigative report, that draws from 18 months of reporting, titled Fractured Lands: How The Arab World Came Apart published in The New York Times. It takes you right to the battlefield.
The vestiges of the enemy left behind are chilling and show the brutality exhibited from both sides. The Iraqi soldiers roaming on streets, the mutilated bodies of the ISIS soldiers and the inhumane conditions in the refugee camps, situated on the edges of the city, are remnants of the horror unleashed by the war.
The Iraqis have taken over, but the fight continues against violence, devastation and seemingly unending despair.
The conditions in the refugee camps situated in the middle of the desert show that wars are unforgiving.
Surprisingly, for some it is not that bad. They are grateful to be at least alive. The raining bullets from jets and helicopters have stopped. They are fed up and nurse a desire to return to Fallujah some day. But for others, enough is enough.
Optimism or despair, the future remains bleak. One doesn’t know what is coming for the fractured land trying to recover from post-war trauma.
But one thing is clear, wars are unforgiving.
(Click here to read The New York Times’ exhaustive investigation on how the Arab World came apart.)
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