In this short documentary produced in association with The Guardian, Iraqi-born reporter Ghaith Abdul-Ahad went inside the 2016-17 battle against ISIS for control of the key city of Mosul, Iraq. (2017)
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In “Battle for Iraq,” Ghaith Abdul-Ahad made a dangerous trip inside Mosul to examine the fight against ISIS and its toll. He spoke with civilians caught in the turmoil, members of Iraq’s elite special operations forces, known as the Golden Division, and captured ISIS fighters. During his reporting, he survived a suicide bombing and ISIS sniper and grenade attacks.
He found a complicated situation on the ground, including deep-seated mistrust of the Iraqi Army by the civilian population, who were suffering heavy casualties: “As we start driving in, you realize you’re not driving through a liberated neighborhood… you’re driving through a battle zone,” Abdul-Ahad said, adding that “this is a battle happening between two enemies on a land inhabited by civilians.”
“Battle for Iraq” was a FRONTLINE production with Mongoose Pictures in association with The Guardian. The reporter and correspondent was The Guardian’s Ghaith Abdul-Ahad. The producer and director was Joshua Baker. The senior producer was Dan Edge. The executive producer of FRONTLINE was Raney Aronson-Rath.
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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional support for FRONTLINE is provided by the Abrams Foundation, Park Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Heising-Simons Foundation, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund, with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
CHAPTERS:
00:11 – The Fight Against ISIS in Iraq’s Second-Largest City
08:00 – Civilians Caught in the Battle for Mosul, Iraq
19:48 – Fighting ISIS, ‘A Vicious Enemy’
30:05 – Credits