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What life is like for Iraqis fleeing violence in Mosul

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have fled west Mosul in the US-backed offensive to retake the city from ISIL.

How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
People who have fled Mosul arrive at the Hammam al-Alil camp, the first place where they can receive aid outside the city. They are given food, drinking water and blankets – enough to meet their basic needs for a few days before they find more permanent accommodation. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]

By Melany Markham

Published On 19 Apr 2017

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Hammam al-Alil, Iraq – As the Iraqi government’s military offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) armed group rages on to retake the largest ISIL-controlled city in the country, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes.

Since the push to regain control of the western half of Mosul began on February 19, the Iraqi government estimates that more than 220,000 people have been displaced.

About 70 percent of these people are living in overstretched, underdeveloped refugee camps, according to the United Nations.

Many have fled to the Hammam al-Alil refugee camp, south of the city, to seek shelter and safety. The camp is home to about 4,000 families who arrived in the last two months to escape the fighting. 

How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
Amira (right) is 42 and fled Mosul on the March 28. She has eight children but fled with only one daughter, her mother and a nephew. She does not know if the rest of her family is alive or dead. 'We have lost everything, including our identification,' she said. Her home was destroyed by a car bomb. 'For 13 years, I had a grocery store, then ISIL came and destroyed it. Now we have nothing,' she continued. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]
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How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
Talia and Tahal have lived in a displacement camp near Hammam al-Alil for over two weeks with their five children. The camp is home to around 4,000 families who have fled Mosul since February 19. Managed by the Iraqi government, a range of different organisations provide food, water and other basic amenities. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]
How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
'Life here is very hard. We can’t drink the water and we sleep on the floor,' says Talia. An average of 6,000 people like Talia have fled Mosul since February 19. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]
How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
Hamed, his wife and six children live in a building on the outskirts of Hammam al-Alil, which has been badly damaged by explosions. 'It is warm and dry,' he says, as he and his family wait for more permanent accommodation. Families like this will be accommodated in a new camp near Hammam al-Alil that will become home to 30,000 people. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]
How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
Ali is 12 years old and cares for his sheep and goats in a pasture on the outskirts of Hammam al-Alil. He has not been to school since ISIL first occupied Mosul over two years ago. He arrived at the town on March 10 with his family who are staying by the local mosque until it is safe for them to return home. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]
How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
An Iraqi university professor watches his grandsons play in his home in Erbil. While he has lived in Erbil for three decades, his grandsons came to live with him, his mother and his wife almost two years ago. They left Erbil soon after ISIL declared a caliphate. They still have family in west Mosul. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]
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How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
Pitching tents is the last thing to be done when constructing large displacement camps. This one will house around 30,000 people near the town of Hammam al-Alil. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]
How displaced people in Iraq live/ Please Do Not Use
Instructions on how to pitch a tent lie among the foundations in a new camp for displaced people close to Mosul. Each tent can comfortably accommodate six people. Across Iraq, there is room for around 60,000 people in official displacement camps. [Melany Markham/NRC/Al Jazeera]