{UAH} The Historian Who Documented ISIS Crimes In Mosul
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The Historian Who Documented ISIS Crimes In Mosul
For three years, the "Mosul Eye" Twitter account reported from ISIS-held Mosul.
For three years, the "Mosul Eye" Twitter account reported from ISIS-held Mosul. Now its owner, Omar Mohammed, has revealed himself
For three years, the city of Mosul experienced countless horrors under ISIS rule. The militants' tyrannical rule over the city and its people has been well documented, as has the group's proclivity towards staging grisly public executions. The proof of such acts came from many sources, including activists who risked their lives to broadcast what they saw on social media.
While there are many individuals who deserve praise for shedding light on ISIS-held Mosul, one particular activist has stood out for the sheer meticulousness and tenacity of his reporting. Known only through the Twitter handle "Mosul Eye", Omar Mohammed lived a double-life during the three years of ISIS rule, hiding his work even from his closest friends and family. Regularly receiving threats from ISIS militants and sympathisers, Omar did not feel it was safe to reveal his identity until the group's rule in Mosul had come to an end.
His Twitter blog represents one of the most accurate insights into life in Mosul under ISIS. A historian and teacher by trade, Omar knew that the stories he witnessed had to be recorded so that future generations could learn from it. He often risked his own life to obtain the information, approaching former friends who had joined ISIS and chatting to them in an attempt to get them to reveal valuable information. There were times when he got careless, revealing information that could easily trace back to him. And there were times he lost hope, getting deliberately careless in an untold hope that he would get caught and be executed. But he was never caught.
By the time he left Mosul in early 2017, he had collected a treasure trove of photos and eyewitness accounts, keeping them hidden in a portable hard drive. Even when he had left the country, he remained dedicated to his work, coordinating with other activists to identify the locations of ISIS facilities and help civilians who were pinned down in the crossfire.
Omar lost his brother during the Battle of Mosul. He hopes that his role in helping his hometown rid itself of ISIS militants may ease his mother's grief over the loss of his brother. But more importantly, he wants to see the cruelties he witnessed and the victims of the group to be canonised in a museum, so that Mosul and Iraq will never forget the events that took place since that summer of 2014.
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