“But I am an old man,” he said softly, gradually bringing back the smile to his face. Finally the soldiers formed a long line and moved into the ruined, haunted alleyways of old Mosul. The old man walked confidently, straight-backed, making his way through the destruction as if he were walking in his garden. They needed to hear the Isis soldiers who had been their tormentors begging for mercy, before they could celebrate their final victory. They needed to hear the Isis soldiers’ animal squeals of pain, in order to feel they had avenged the loss of their families.

Source: The Guardian November 21, 2017 06:00 UTC