Refugees flee ISIS to Iraqi Kurdistan, ‘the Israel of the Arab states’
I had been asleep for nearly 13 hours when I saw the text from my mom.
“I need to talk to you ASAP.”
I knew what it was about; I had gone to a war-torn country without telling her.
Being at the front with Peshmerga forces holding the line against Islamic State in Iraqi Kurdistan didn’t put my stomach into such knots as seeing that text from my mother.
Why did I go? she asked. Think of all the people I could hurt if something happened, she pleaded.
I knew the risks. The first night in Erbil, the regional capital, was restless. I had a nightmare that Islamic State stormed the hotel and took me captive after my fixer turned me in for a $150,000 prize for my head. But when I woke up and went down for breakfast, the Arab staff – mostly refugees from Mosul, Ramadi, or some other city under the clutches of Islamic State – were pleasant and accommodating.