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War against ISIL: Saving lives on the front lines

Medics from around the world have been providing care to those injured in Iraq’s ongoing conflict.

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Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
Kyirsty Unger, an American nurse and volunteer medic, treats an injured man at a trauma stabilisation point on the edge of Mosul's Old City. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
By Claire Thomas
Published On 6 Sep 2017

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Mosul, Iraq – Amid the devastation of Mosul’s Old City, surrounded by the sounds of gunfire and explosions and engulfed by the stench of rotting flesh, volunteer medics worked day and night to provide life-saving care to injured civilians and soldiers.

With little more than a few makeshift hospital beds set up inside a dark, abandoned storefront, and with only the most basic medical resources, international medical organisations confronted the human cost of the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

Working alongside the Iraqi army, the medics set up makeshift field clinics as close as possible to the front lines, moving forward as Iraqi forces gained ground.

A medical team leader would make a quick triage assessment of each person’s needs and injuries as they arrived. After being stabilised, patients were taken to a nearby hospital for additional care.

Many civilians arriving at the clinic expressed relief and joy at having escaped ISIL and the deathtrap of Mosul’s Old City. Isra, 30, who sustained an injury to her face, cried with relief to be free, noting: “Today is our birthday because it’s the first day we are free.” Her two-year-old son was killed in the fighting a day earlier.

Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
A child receives treatment for injuries caused by an ISIL-planted improvised explosive device. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
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Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
A teenager receives treatment for a severely infected head wound at a makeshift field clinic. Having no access to proper medical care while trapped in Mosul's Old City, many civilians arrived at the field clinic in need of emergency treatment for old wounds that had become infected. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
Many civilians escaping the Old City showed signs of acute malnutrition after enduring several months with little or no food and water. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
Some patients described the brutal conditions inside the Old City, where they survived on dirty river water and very little food. "We've had no food for nine months, since the city was surrounded," said Hadr, a 29-year-old biologist. "There is no food in the markets - only some cow meat, which is very expensive. We bought rice before the city was surrounded, but now it's finished." [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
Katie Batrouney, a paramedic from Australia, carries a wounded child to an ambulance after providing pre-hospital care at a trauma stabilisation point set up inside an abandoned storefront on the edge of Mosul's Old City. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
A severely malnourished two-month-old baby is brought to a field clinic less than a kilometre from the front lines. Without access to food or clean water while trapped for months inside the Old City of Mosul, many civilians suffered malnutrition. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
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Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
As Iraqi forces pushed deeper towards the heart of the Old City, medics followed, treating sick and wounded civilians before transporting them to a hospital. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
Katie Batrouney, a paramedic from Australia, works alongside Iraqi army medics to provide professional medical care to the sick and wounded. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
As Iraqi forces pushed into the Old City, routes were opened for civilians to escape. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
A baby with a shrapnel wound to his neck is treated by medics from the Academy of Emergency Medicine and Global Response Management. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
Medics from international NGO Global Response Management worked around the clock to provide emergency medical care alongside their colleagues in the Iraqi Security Forces. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
A woman carries her child as they flee a west Mosul neighbourhood. After escaping the fighting in soaring temperatures, many civilians were treated for heat exhaustion and dehydration. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
After several months of providing life-saving emergency medical care in Mosul, many medics have moved to the Tel Afar area to treat casualties from the latest military action. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]
Saving lives on the frontline in the fight against ISIL/Please Do Not Use
Men and women from diverse backgrounds have been working as medics, driven by a common desire to provide life-saving treatment to those affected by the war. [Claire Thomas/Al Jazeera]