Black smoke was rising from the Qayara oilfelds as the refugees huddled in the shade.  They had arrived that morning – from ISIS controlled territory a little further west.

These  refugees had come from Jahala village.  They were Sunni Arabs.   They had elected earlier that day to risk an escape from IS territory across the desert – a route ending in certain death if caught by the jihadis.  ‘ISIS have set fire to the oil fields,’  one of them told us. ‘The smoke makes it impossible to breathe.  12 or so people every day need the hospital. It’s impossible to stay.’

So they had set out in the early dawn, just after first light.  A convoy of men, women and children.  ‘The best time is before the sun rises, when ISIS are sleeping.  We used that time to come over.’

Now they were exhausted, grimy, but safe.  The Pesh Merga fighters of General Mala Mahdi were quizzing  the men, looking for  any indications that they might be IS members  sent to infiltrate the lines.  It appeared that all was well, however.  After a while trucks arrived and the families began to load their belongings.  Their destination was one of the large refugee camps established by the government of Iraq.  There would be little by way of comfort there. But there would be shelter, food, water – and a chance to breathe air not polluted by the black smoke of burning oil.

Read the full article at jonathanspyer.com