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Kawa Omar

Produced by Kawa Omar

July 27, 2019
Iraqi Musician Plays Ney in Mosul Ruins Two Years After IS

Flute player describes his home city as a big wound in his heart
July 27, 2019
Residents Disabled by Islamic State Are Mosul’s Most Vulnerable

Life is a constant struggle for hundreds of residents in Mosul, Iraq, who were impaired during the Iraqi war to remove the Islamic State (IS) from the city
July 27, 2019
'They Killed Art in This City': Iraqi Musician Plays Ney in Mosul Ruins Two Years After IS

Two years after the removal of Islamic State (IS) from Mosul, Iraqi musician Saad Rajab Bacha plays at the ruins of what once was the house of traditional maqam music
June 10, 2019
Mosul Artist Recovers Sculptures Damaged by Islamic State

Talal Safawi, a sculptor in Mosul, is using his artistic skills to recover statues damaged by Islamic State
February 23, 2019
Mosul Activists: US Troops Prevent Return of IS

Concerned about a rising Islamic State insurgency in their city, many residents of Mosul say they hope U.S. troops will remain to ensure a lasting defeat of the jihadists. VOA's Kawa Omar reports.
December 03, 2018
Families of Local IS Members Face Rejection in Iraq

More than one year after its liberation from Islamic State terror, the Iraqi city of Mosul still suffers from scars left behind
November 15, 2018
IS Explosives Still Terrorize Mosul Residents

Clearing the city of remnants of war might take years or even decades, an aid group said in its 2018 report
September 21, 2018
Woman Blinded by IS Blast Bakes to Support Family

She tells VOA her family has given her the reason to stay resilient and continue her job despite the difficulties caused by her impaired vision
September 21, 2018
Mosul Woman Blinded by IS Bombing Makes Bread to Support Her Family

Ibtisam Muhammad, 51, lost her sight because of an Islamic State car bombing in October 2016. But she never lost her will to continue her 15-year-old profession of making bread to support her family. VOA's Kawa Omar reports from Mosul.
September 21, 2018
Mosul Baker, Blinded by IS Car Bomb, Makes her Special Flatbread

Ibstisam Muhammad, 51, and an Iraqi mother of four, works full time job bread to support her family even after she was blinded by an Islamic State (IS) bombing. Nicknamed Aum Ashraf, Muhammad has been a baker for 15 years, making Mosul's special flatbread recipe.
August 31, 2018
Mosul's Old City Schools Lie in Ruin

Residents of Mosul's Old City are concerned about the education of their children ahead of the new school year as most classrooms in the district remain in ruins in the wake of the war against the Islamic State group. VOA's Kawa Omar spoke to some residents in Mosul.
August 27, 2018
Mystical Sufi Dancing Rituals Return to Mosul After IS

The sect has been targeted by Islamist militant groups since 2003 due to the claim that they practice a heterodox form of Islam
August 27, 2018
Mosul's Sufi Convents in Ruins After Islamic State

Sufi places of worship in Mosul have not recovered a year after Islamic State was removed. VOA's Kawa Omar visited some convents destroyed by war.
August 08, 2018
Mosul Woman Raising 23 Grandkids Orphaned by IS

At 61, she alone is raising the offspring of her three sons and two daughters, who were killed in the brutal conflict; her husband suffers from Alzheimer's disease
August 08, 2018
Mosul Woman Raising 23 Grandkids Orphaned by IS Conflict

Sana Ibrahim, 61, is taking care of her 23 grandchildren and sick husband after her five children were killed during the war to rout Islamic State from the Iraqi city of Mosul. She spoke to VOA's Kawa Omar about her struggles.
July 13, 2018
After Islamic State, Mosul Artist Keeps History Alive

Safaa al-Deen Suhaib is a sculptor in Mosul who is using his art to make medals and tokens mimicking the Assyrian and Babylonian eras. He tells VOA's Kawa Omar that he had to hide his art during Islamic State (IS) control because the jihadists considered it heretic.
June 21, 2018
Mosul Woman Searching for Son Kidnapped by IS

Suham Usuf is a mother of three who lost her husband and a leg during an airstrike on Old Mosul in June 2017. Despite the difficulty of life as a disabled person in Mosul, she is grieving for her 20-year-old son, who has been missing since he was kidnapped by the Islamic State in 2014. VOA’s Kawa Omar reports from Mosul, Iraq.
June 05, 2018
Mosul Group Feeds Needy During Post-IS Ramadan

As Mosul observes its first Ramadan after the overthrow of Islamic State, volunteers at Project Orphan Joy are providing daily meals to impoverished residents and orphaned children. VOA’s Kawa Omar reports.
May 03, 2018
Former IS Slaughterhouse Is Now a Memorial

Residents in the village of al-Hud in south Mosul have covered the walls of their elementary school building with names and photos of dozens of people who were killed by the Islamic State (IS). They tell VOA's Kawa Omar that IS used the school as a slaughterhouse.
April 04, 2018
Mosul Artist Paints Over IS Graffiti With Murals of City's Old Glory

'I want to revive memories of all this lost heritage.... I want the new generation to know what the Old City was like,' Walid Dabagh says

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