La historia tras las imágenes de la ofensiva en Mosul
Fotógrafos de la agencia REUTERS cuentan en primera persona cómo vivieron los momentos de las tomas realizadas en el terreno de conflicto
Un hombre detenido acusado ser un combatiente del E.I, frente a desplazados cerca de un puesto de control en Qayyara, el 26 de octubre de 2016. Goran Tomasevic: 'Estaba cubriendo los primeros días de la ofensiva cuando recibí un aviso de que soldados irquíes estaban intentando atrapar a mlitantes del E.I que intentaban escapar entre los civiles. Alcancé un área cerca de un puesto de control del ejército, donde un montón de hombres mujeres y niños estaban sentados en el suelo, vigilados por los soldados, esperando a ser llevados a autobuses o camiones en dirección a campos de refugiados. Me dí cuenta de que los soldados separaban a un hombre del grupo y empezaron a interrogarlo. Intenté fotografia a poca distancia pero eso molestó a los soldados, que me taparon la cámara y me ordenaron abandonar la zona. Me retiré para mi propia seguridad, pero permanecí discretamente cerca. Pasaron unos 10 minutos y el hombre fue empujado a un pozo poco profundo excavado en el desierto. Capturé la imagen cuando los soldados no me estaban prestando atención. No sé qué le pasó al militante, pues tuve que marcharme poco después para cubrir los acontecimientos de la lucha.Goran Tomasevic (REUTERS)Gente entra en pánico después de un ataque aéreo dirigido a combatientes del E.I, en el barrio de Tahrir, el 17 de Noviembre de 2016. Goran Tomasevic: 'Cubrir batallas es muy duro, y en este caso, fué dificil alcanzar la prímera línea, pero ese día pudimos. Cuando llegamos la zona estaba tranquila. Poco después un coche explotó, en uin contraataque del E.I a las fuerzas iraquíes. Había víctimas, niños gritando y varias casas cercanas fueron destruidas. He cubierto muchos conflictos en mi carrera, pero lo que me ha impactado en Mosul es el número de atentados con coches bomba.Cuando las cosas finalmente se tranquilizaron, vi a un grupo de civiles aprovechando al máximo un cese de disparos para salir a las calles. Ambos eran jóvenes y ancianos, y se sentían lo suficientemente seguros como para dejar sus casas con pocas pertenencias, caminando con cuidado pero tranquilamente hacia donde yo estaba capturando las escenas a mi alrededor. De repente, un ataque aéreo dirigido a posiciones del Estado islámico a unos cientos de metros de distancia detrás de ellos. El pánico total continuó. La gente gritaba, se agachaba y huía mientras las columnas de humo se elevaban. Rápidamente corrieron hacia cualquier refugio que pudieron encontrar. Oí el avión justo antes del ataque aéreo, y por experiencia sabía que tenía poco tiempo. Estas cosas suceden rápidamente y tienes que actuar.Goran Tomasevic (REUTERS)Fuerzas de Operaciones Especiales iraquíes arrestan a una persona sospechosa de pertenecer al Estado Islámico en el oeste de Mosul, el 26 de febrero de 2017. Alaa Al-Marjani: 'Vi a cuatro presuntos militantes del Estado Islámico escogidos de un grupo de desplazados por soldados iraquíes. Los sospechosos habían sido identificados por civiles que trabajaban con las fuerzas de seguridad y llevaban máscaras para protegerse de posibles represalias por parte de E.I. Los sospechosos, incluido el hombre en esta foto, fueron arrojados a la cama de una camioneta. Esta fotografía fue importante porque ayudó a ilustrar cómo algunos militantes se habían ocultado entre los civiles que huían con la esperanza de evadir la captura. Algunos de ellos arreglaron sus espesas barbas y cambiaron sus ropas para mezclarse. Yo había estado cubriendo los acontecimientos en otro frente cuando vi en las redes sociales que un gran grupo de refugiados se dirigía a este lugar. La forma en que los sospechosos estaban siendo tratados era anormal, así que sentí que era muy importante documentar esto en imágenes. Después de tomar esta foto, un oficial de inteligencia militar intentó agarrar mi cámara alejarme del lugar. Trabajaba en conjunto con un corresponsal de Reuters y un asesor de seguridad, por lo que el oficial finalmente desistió y me permitió tomar más fotos. Puede ser difícil controlar sus sentimientos al tomar fotografías en este tipo de escenas. Hay mucho sufrimiento, y también mucha competencia con otras agencias para obtener la mejor fotografía en el menor período de tiempo. Mi cámara es muy moderna, pero el acceso a Internet necesario para enviar nuestras imágenes es difícil porque la mayoría de las torres de comunicaciones en la región están caídas'.Alaa Al-Marjani (REUTERS)Displaced Iraqi women, who just fled their home, rest in the desert as they wait to be transported while Iraqi forces battle with Islamic State militants in western Mosul, Iraq, February 27, 2017. Zohra Bensemra: "I took this picture in a desert on the outskirts of Western Mosul of 90-year-old Khatla Ali Abdallah after she fled the battle for Mosul. Her fearful eyes red with fatigue, Khatla was so exhausted she could not stand or even sit properly. She looked to me like she had not eaten or drank water for a long time. The moment was so emotional that I had tears in my eyes when I photographed Khatla. I felt bad because I could not do anything for her apart from taking pictures to show the world the agony and torment of people trying to flee Mosul to safety.Ê I was sad too, imagining this woman as my own grandmother and feeling helpless to make her comfortable.Ê When you face such a moment, you always think that it could happen to anyone of us. But despite all, Khatla looked beautiful to me, almost as if every wrinkle on her face told a story.Ê I was fortunate to find her a few days later in a refugee camp after showing people my photograph of her. She has survived decades of turbulence in northern Iraq. She told me "the fighting there is the worst I have ever seen". She had been carried across the desert by her grandsons, under sniper and mortar fire, one of thousands who braved the difficult and dangerous journey out of Islamic State's shrinking stronghold in western Mosul. Khatla made me smile when she expressed her remorse about her 20 chickens she had to leave behind. She had looked after them even while hiding from crossfire in her house's basement. Despite all the terror she experienced under IS rule, it had not destroyed her humanity - she said, 'Even animals deserve life.'" REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Zohra Bensemra (REUTERS)ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUALS COVERAGE OF SCENES OF DEATH OR INJURY An Iraqi special forces soldier shoots dead a would-be Islamic State suicide bomber in Mosul, Iraq, March 3, 2017. Goran Tomasevic: "I shot this picture while accompanying an Iraqi counter-terrorism military unit on a probe into an inner-city district of western Mosul held by Islamic State. I had spent some time "embedded" with the counter-terrorism force so they were relaxed in my presence and allowed me to follow every step of their advance. On this particular day we were moving slowly on foot through narrow side streets, with soldiers searching house-to-house to gradually clear the way forward. Turning a corner into a more exposed main street, we suddenly came under heavy fire from Islamic State, which forced us to race inside a nearby house for cover. In so doing, a soldier near me was fatally shot in the back, while once inside the house another was shot in the head by a sniper as I was speaking with him. We were in a very dangerous situation, pinned down by IS fire, though the militants were kept back for the time being by air strikes called in by the unit commander, plus intensified mortar fire from our side. Hours passed by and daylight faded to night. Suddenly soldiers near me began shouting, shooting broke out and I saw one soldier shooting a would-be IS suicide bomber trying to approach the house door. I took the picture seconds later standing just behind the shooter in silhouette, with the suicide bomber visible through a shell hole in the house wall, dead on the ground in a spreading pool of blood. It was pretty heavy stuff, extremely close-range war fighting. But I have covered the front lines of many wars so I just stay calm in these tough spots and think only how I can shoot the best pictures while seizing the right moment to pull back out of harm's way. This time, we had to wait until just after dawn the next day to retreat, darting from one street corner to the next to reach safety bGoran Tomasevic (REUTERS)A man cries as he carries his daughter while walking from an Islamic State-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during a battle in Mosul, Iraq, March 4, 2017. Goran Tomasevic: "Both screaming in terror, the father and the young daughter he cradled in his arm fled through the rubble-strewn streets of Wadi Hajar, transformed in a flash into a battleground between Islamic State fighters and Iraqi special forces. They and their neighbours - some wearing rubber sandals, some barefoot - were running from an IS counter-attack in this part of Mosul, dodging gunfire as the militants closed in. When they reached the special forces lines, males were ordered to lift their shirts to prove they weren't suicide bombers. The father was so beside himself, so panicked. It was obvious because he had a short shirt on and was carrying a child that he wasnÕt Islamic State. I believe they will both be taken to a refugee camp." REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY.Goran Tomasevic (REUTERS)A displaced Iraqi who fled his home has his beard shaved outside Hamam al-Alil camp, south of Mosul, Iraq, March 10, 2017. Suhaib Salem: "The significance of my picture stems from the fact that after Islamic State captured Mosul in June 2014, it forced all local men to grow long thick beards. So after fleeing across front lines and arriving at the Hamam al-Alil camp run by Iraqi troops, many male refugees queued up for the opportunity to be shorn. I was walking around the camp all day looking for good pictures when I noticed men having their beards shaved off. I ran up and snapped the old man being shaved, though he and others at first refused to let me take pictures as they were still afraid of reprisal if battlefield fortunes shifted and the militants regained control of the area. They were eventually happy and gave me permission to take pictures. I faced challenges every day of my Mosul assignment. Road journeys were long and arduous, with mortar bombs crashing around us frequently and the stench of bodies rotting in the streets where we walked. I have covered wars for Reuters for 19 years and this is the most dangerous one yet." REUTERS/Suhaib Salem/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Suhaib Salem (REUTERS)Iraqi rapid response members fire a missile against Islamic State militants during a battle with the militants in Mosul, Iraq, March 11, 2017. Thaier Al-Sudani: "This attack came in the middle of a battle when Iraqi forces were trying to recapture the regional government compound from Islamic State. I was taking pictures of clashes at Mosul's antiquities museum when we spotted an Islamic State drone in the air above us. We dropped to the ground for fear of being attacked by a rocket. I cut my hand and we returned to the car to treat it. When we got there, I saw Iraqi forces firing rockets nearby at an IS target beyond our field of vision, so I resumed taking photographs. I thought this photo was a strong one that expressed the terrible violence of battle. It is another world covering wars compared with news conferences. There is 100 percent danger, and the internet we need to transmit pictures is poor or non-existent." REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Thaier Al-Sudani (REUTERS)Members of Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forces look at the positions of Islamic State militants during clashes in western Mosul, Iraq, May 15, 2017. Danish Siddiqui: "In May, I was accompanying a senior commander of Counter Terrorism Service, an elite Iraqi security force trained by the US, during the battle to take control of Western Mosul. We arrived at a small house on the frontline after walking through holes in the walls between homes. Islamic State snipers were firing a few hundred meters away. The people who once lived there departed quickly, leaving clothes and toys scattered across the floor. The next inhabitants left hollow shell casings. The CTS had taken over the house a day ago. The curtain was a bed sheet. They stood behind it to identify enemy snipers and watch one of their own. It's a quiet picture that tells of even the most uneventful of moments on the front, when nothing may happen, and everything is possible." REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. ?Danish Siddiqui (REUTERS)A view of a part of western Mosul, Iraq, May 29, 2017. Alkis Konstantinidis: "It was the second day of my assignment in Mosul and we were driving to join the Iraqi Federal Police forces at their frontline positions. The closer we got to our destination, the more obvious was the impact of the constant warfare. The cityscape was apocalyptic: demolished buildings, burnt cars tipped onto their sides, twisted masses of steel. We reached the frontline on what seemed a quiet day. But even if things appear calm, you have to be on alert about your surroundings. While moving fast from position to position, taking cover behind debris, I noticed a yellow car lying destroyed in the middle of the road ahead of us. I took a few wide-angle shots, which worked best as I was able to get the perspective of the street and the sweeping scale of the destruction.ÊNot a single element of my frame was untouched by the battle. Later that day, I tried to imagine what this street - whose name I couldn't find out as no signs were left standing - would have looked like on a "normal" day some years ago.ÊIt appeared to be a market street; people would have crossed it in a hurry, darting between traffic. The mosque in the background would have called the faithful to prayer and it would have been full of different noises: car honks, shop-owners shouting to attract customers, music playing in coffee shops full of people. These everyday sounds had now been replaced by the heavy crump of mortars, artillery, helicoptersÊand the clatter of gun battles. And the memory of a normal day seemed so distant." REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Alkis Konstantinidis (REUTERS)A member of the Iraqi Federal police rests at the frontline in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, June 28, 2017. Ahmed Jadallah: "I left Erbil early in the morning bound for Mosul with our multimedia team and security adviser in an armoured car. After an almost three-hour drive, passing many Kurdish PeshmergaÊand Iraqi military checkpoints, we crossed the Tigris river and reached the headquarters of the Iraqi federal police in western Mosul. An hour later a federal police convoy escorted us to the frontline in the Old City. There, while covering a battle between Federal Police and Islamic State, I passed the soldier in the photograph. He was taking a rest in a temporarily more sheltered spot and draped himself with a net to keep away clouds of insects that had been attracted by dead bodies and raw sewage nearby.ÊThe picture showsÊthe rough conditions of the frontline where there is no decent place to sleep while the fighting carries on.ÊJust one mistake of walking down a street in the wrong direction could have landed me in the deadly hands of Islamic State. The most important thing is to stay out of sight of Islamic State snipers and drones. Of all the wars I have covered in various countries, Mosul has been the worst." REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.Ahmed Jadallah (REUTERS)Iraqi Federal police celebrate in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, July 8, 2017. Ahmed Saad: "This is the first moment of Iraqi soldiers expressing their joy and relief at the end of a brutal, nearly nine-month-long battle in which they lost many of their comrades. I went to see the celebrations when we heard that combat operations had virtually ended and the announcement of final victory in Mosul was about to be made. The soldiers were shooting in the air. Photographers were worried about being hit by falling bullets so stayed in our body armour. But I was happy that we were about to rid this part of the country of Islamic State and citizens could finally return to their homes. Wearing bullet-proof vests and helmets in the searing mid-summer Iraqi heat is physically difficult but it's important to keep safety in mind. It's also difficult to communicate with the commanders to know what's happening. And the travel across rough, rocky desert to reach frontlines is also uncomfortable and there is a lot of waiting. The internet is also bad so it is frequently a struggle to file our pictures to the world in real time. All the same, I enjoy photographing military clashes because the pictures are powerful and expressive." REUTERS/Ahmed Saad/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.AHMED SAAD (REUTERS)People walk in front of the remains of the University of Mosul, which was burned and destroyed during a battle with Islamic State militants, in Mosul, Iraq, April 10, 2017. Marko Djurica: "On April 10, a Reuters team entered eastern Mosul to work on a story about the the city's destroyed university, once a centre for education in northern Iraq.ÊOn arrival, I was struck first by the huge size of the campus, then by the scale of destruction.ÊAt least 10 large buildings and some smaller ones had been more or less reduced to rubble. The entrance was guarded by Iraqi soldiers, cleaning their guns and drinking tea.ÊI saw people trying to carry furniture and equipment out from what was once the chemistry department in a burnt-out building.ÊIt turned out these men were professors who had taught there and had now volunteered to save whatever could be salvaged.ÊAs I walked around taking pictures I met more teachers trying to clean up or just gloomily contemplating the devastation. It was emotional for them as they knew there was no chance the university would be the same again anytime soon." REUTERS/Marko Djurica/File photo SEARCH "MOSUL PICTURES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.?Marko Djurica (REUTERS)
