The Battle for Mosul
General News, first prize stories
March 13, 2017
Civilians fleeing heavy clashes between Iraqi Special Forces and ISIS militants in the Jidideh neighborhood of Mosul walk past the body of an ISIS fighter killed in an airstrike the night before.
On 10 July 2017, after months of fighting, the Iraqi government declared the city of Mosul fully liberated from ISIS, although fierce fighting continued in pockets of the city. Mosul had fallen to ISIS three years earlier, and the battle to retake it had begun in October 2016.
In effect, the reconquering of Mosul comprised two parts: the battle for the eastern half of the city, and that for the west, across the Tigris River. East Mosul was recaptured by the end of January 2017, but the offensive on west Mosul, particularly the densely built-up Old City, proved more difficult. Large areas of the city were left in ruins, and huge numbers of civilians were caught in the crossfire as battle raged.
A United Nations report gives an absolute minimum of 4,194 civilian casualties during the conflict, with other sources putting the figure much higher. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights pointed to extensive use of civilians as human shields, with ISIS fighters attempting to use the presence of civilian hostages to make certain areas immune from military operations.
After months of being trapped in the last remaining ISIS-held areas of the city, the people in west Mosul were severely short of food and water. Those who chose to remain in the city rather than go to one of the many camps for displaced people, initially relied on aid in order to survive.
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Ivor Prickett
Ireland
Most recently Ivor’s work has focused on the fight to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, with a particular focus on the battle for Mosul.
About the photographer
Ivor Prickett
Most recently Ivor’s work has focused on the fight to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, with a particular focus on the battle for Mosul.
Most recently Ivor’s work has focused on the fight to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, with a particular focus on the battle for Mosul.
Working exclusively for the The New York Times, he has spent months on the ground reporting in both words and pictures to produce the series 'The Battle For Mosul'.
Based in the region since 2009, Ivor documented the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt and Libya, working simultaneously on editorial assignments and his own long-term projects.
Travelling to more than 10 countries between 2012 and 2015 he documented the Syrian refugee crisis in the region as well as Europe, working in close collaboration with UNHCR to produce the body of work, ‘Seeking Shelter’.
‘Dreams of a Homeland’ is the result of extended periods of time spent in northern Iraq and Syria with the Kurdish people striving for recognition in the region.
With a particular interest in the aftermath of war and its humanitarian consequences, his early projects focused on stories of displaced people throughout the Balkans and Caucasus and culminated in the form of ‘Returning Home’.
Ivor’s work has been recognised through a number of prestigious awards including POYI, Foam Talent, The Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize and The Ian Parry Scholarship.
His pictures have been exhibited widely at institutions such as The Getty Gallery, London, Foam Gallery, Amsterdam and The National Portrait Gallery, London.
He is represented by Panos Pictures in London and holds a degree in documentary photography from the University of Wales Newport.
Interviews
Irish photographer Ivor Prickett speaks about his photo story Free Libya.
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Ivor Prickett on Twitter
@ivorprickett
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