Mustafa works at the Mihrako hotel and with so few international visitors was always keen to practice his English, at the same time insisting on making me truly awful coffee. In the course of one of these conversations I asked where he was from and he explained that he had a Kurdish father and an Arab mother and was born and raised in Mosul. Mustafa is intensely proud of being a 'Mosulman', describing Mosul as the most beautiful city in Iraq, if not the world.
When ISIS stormed Mosul Mustafa's world came crashing down. His parents fled with his younger brothers and sisters but Mustafa stayed, keen to continue his economics degree as he was only 21.
Not long after the invasion he was walking home one evening with his close friend Omer when they were stopped by a ISIS gunman carrying a heavy pistol, who insisted on seeing their identity papers. Mustafa's papers had him listed as a Kurd and Omer's papers showed that he had been in the Iraq army. The gunman declared that he was going to kill them both - Mustafa for having a Kurdish father and Omer for having been in the army. Immediately he shot Omer in the head three times. Miraculously the gun then jammed giving Mustafa the chance to ran and jump over a wall into the grounds of a school and escape. From there he made his way back to Omer's brothers house and later they both returned in a car to collect Omer's body.(he showed me the photos!)
Despite this Mustafa was still reluctant to leave Mosul until a few weeks later an ISIS official at the university insisted he work for ISIS as he had a good knowledge of several languages. That night he left the city on foot and make his way to the Kurdish lines and on to Slemani where his parents were living.
This story is told in an even tone unpinned with emotional pain, but he is not looking for sympathy or pity, this is just his story among many like it.
Since then he has had an offer of help from a cousin in Britain but he refuses to leave Iraq, convinced that the ISIS regime cannot last and he will be able to return to his home in 'beautiful' Mosul . That, however is a story I have heard from several Syrians and after five years of war, their time of waiting to return has come to an end.
When ISIS stormed Mosul Mustafa's world came crashing down. His parents fled with his younger brothers and sisters but Mustafa stayed, keen to continue his economics degree as he was only 21.
Not long after the invasion he was walking home one evening with his close friend Omer when they were stopped by a ISIS gunman carrying a heavy pistol, who insisted on seeing their identity papers. Mustafa's papers had him listed as a Kurd and Omer's papers showed that he had been in the Iraq army. The gunman declared that he was going to kill them both - Mustafa for having a Kurdish father and Omer for having been in the army. Immediately he shot Omer in the head three times. Miraculously the gun then jammed giving Mustafa the chance to ran and jump over a wall into the grounds of a school and escape. From there he made his way back to Omer's brothers house and later they both returned in a car to collect Omer's body.(he showed me the photos!)
Despite this Mustafa was still reluctant to leave Mosul until a few weeks later an ISIS official at the university insisted he work for ISIS as he had a good knowledge of several languages. That night he left the city on foot and make his way to the Kurdish lines and on to Slemani where his parents were living.
This story is told in an even tone unpinned with emotional pain, but he is not looking for sympathy or pity, this is just his story among many like it.
Since then he has had an offer of help from a cousin in Britain but he refuses to leave Iraq, convinced that the ISIS regime cannot last and he will be able to return to his home in 'beautiful' Mosul . That, however is a story I have heard from several Syrians and after five years of war, their time of waiting to return has come to an end.
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