Families flee ISIL in Iraq

Operations began last month to retake Nineveh province, including Mosul, from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

ISIL took control of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, in June 2014. The town of Makhmour, around 75km southeast of Mosul, is among the frontlines of the operation to reclaim it. Here, the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been holding the line as battle preparations continue.

Since the operation began, an increasing number of displaced people have been streaming into Iraq’s Kurdish region, seeking refuge. The influx is expected to continue in the months ahead.