On Syria border, Mosul refugees trapped under Islamic State fire

RAJM AL-SALIBEH: They have escaped the Islamic State group stronghold of Mosul but hundreds of Iraqis seeking refuge in neighbouring war-torn Syria are now trapped on the border under jihadist fire.

As hungry and thirsty children wander in tears between makeshift tents, a motorbike suddenly roars towards the encampment in the Rajm al-Salibeh border area, just inside Syrian territory. Syrian Kurdish fighters manning the border open fire, fearing an IS scout, or even a suicide bomb attacker.

The vehicle disappears from view but then reemerges and is again met by fire from the Kurdish forces a second time before it retreats. The incident heightens the tension and fear at the border, where Iraqis fleeing IS-held Mosul ahead of an army operation to recapture the city are seeking refuge in their war-torn neighbour.

“A mortar shell fell and an Iraqi family was injured. Day and night there are clashes. We’re living in danger here,” said one Iraqi in his thirties, who refused to give his name. He said he feared reprisals against relatives in Mosul, and spoke with his checkered keffiyeh over his face to hide it from the camera.

Around him in the desert, hundreds of Iraqis waited in the heat. Despite the war that is ravaging Syria and has displaced millions of its residents, the Iraqis are desperate to reach the UN-run Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria’s Hasakeh province.