>> we never thought that saddam will be reved, never. so when i saw them, i felt hope. a country like america, this was my dream. >> narrator:his is the story of the iraq war told by the civilians who lived it. >> major combat operations in iraq have ended. >> then there waa chaos. >> the united states have prevailed. >> mission accomplished. yeah? seriously? >> we didn't have a strong government, it was very weak.wh so they withdraw, it was a mistake. >> narrator: from the sectarian violencehat followed. >> i never thought thathere

would be a civil war between iraqis. >> narrator: to the risef isis. >> (speaking arabic) r: >> narratohe memories and experiences from those who survived. >> it's very dangerous to forget. because memory all is what's left for us. >> narrator: now on frontline, "once upon a time in iraq". >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. o than and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world.ti more infor at macfound.org. working with visio on the frontlines of social change worldwide. at fdfoundation.org.up additionalrt is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence inna josm. the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public

awaress of critical issues. the john and helen glessner supporting trustworthy urnalism that informs and inspires.d the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo a hagler. >> now, what are your preferences with regards to vaping or not? do you...? >> if you wanna do it, yeah. >> yeah? >> if it makes you feel more relaxed. >> thank you. >> (laughs)

(speakinarabic): (people laugh) ♪ >> (speaking arabic): >> iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward america and to supporterror. states like these and their terrorist allies constitute anax of evil. terrorists... hatred... dangerous regimes... weapons of and it must be opp. evil... ♪ (people yelling) of the war in iraq told bytory iris who lived through it.

>> (laughing): i was very happy to see them at thatime, like, "hi! i can speak elish!" >> narrator: these are their personal accounts and lasting memories of the invasion of their country and the 17 years of chaos that followed. xplosion booms) >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): >> (spking arabic): >> (speaking arabic):

>> it's very dangerous to forget. because memory all is what's left for us. (cars humming, horns honking) (people talking in background) (man chanting on speaker) >> okay, new york, we're starting the show. >> five, four, three, two, one... >> hi and welcome. i'm vassa rae, and today, we're participating a historic discussion between the young people of two countries on the brink of r. and let's, everyone in new york, say hi to everyone over in baghdad.

>> hi! >> and if you guys could say hi back to us, jusso we know that you saw us. >> hi. >> hi, people america! >> it's, it's very weird looking at yourself, you know, as, like, as a young man. i think i s 18 years old at that time. (exhales) i mean, am i wrong or did i you know, it's, lidon't know, it's, like, "hello, people of america!" (chuckles) >> i'm, uh, generally interested in computers. and i like, uh, ternet, i like eml and all this stuff. >> let's live, uh, a happy lifel and, u's rock and roll. you know, i love rock a lot. listen for some metallica, it will help you. >> let's take a little bit more of an in-depth look with this , rst video from waleed, w we all know by now, is a rocker. let's check it out (heavy metal playing) >> so i formed this little

group, and we were the only heavy metal band in iraq. (band continues) i was infatuated with the west. i wanted everything that waswe ern. it was, like, i wanted the blue jeans, i wanted the skateboards, i wanted the headphones, i wanted all of these things that i grew up watching. and that's how i learned english, was fm movies and songs. it's a cooplace. but it's a fake mcdonald. a realght that it mcdonald, and the first moment that we saw it, "oh, we have mcdonald's here in iraq!" but this is not mcdonald's, no. >> there are two girls, very beautiful girls there, are sitting there. >> you know, i hadn'that many americans at that time, but there are so many things about america that we appreciate, w we like,e want. so when i hear, yoknow, statements like, "they hate our

freedom and our democracy," it's, like, , we actlly love it, we fricking love it-- that's all we wanted. b ("everybodthe backstreet boys playing) (car horn honks) when we started hearing the murmurs that we are about to be invaded, i was excited. (people talking in background) >> i want to ask about backstreet boys, what do you know about them? what are their latest? >> i gotta be honest, i think really, really catchy tunes. >> (laughing) >> so i'm definitely down withet the backstoys. >> they are sucks, you know? >> (laughing) >> i always want to be one of the backstreet boys. (laughs): when i was teenager. i even knew the dances, like... (murmuring, chuckles) i had the same clothes: the white pants and the open shirts. >> ♪ backstreet's back, all right! ♪ >> and i go to the high hool with these things, so...

"'sup, my name is kevin, not ahmed." (laughs) (yelling) (singing in arabic) my family wanted me to be, you know, imam at the mosque. but they lost, lost that hope when i was seven, i guess, when i started to say bad words. >> right? >> (laughs): i was cursing. and my father was very religious, it was very conflict. he had some, i don'tw why, huge problem with the songs, with the music. ♪ when i take my father's car, i

remove the, his, his tapes, which is quran or anashid,am which is i songs. and i put my music and driving around baghdad. i go crazy. the music is very high. ♪ (imitating music) ♪ i was always asking myself why i wasn't born in the western worl- i shouldn't be born in this world. ♪ >> (singing in arabic): >> i remember... is when i get into the school, i see paintings of mickey mouse, and the picture of saddam hussein.

i saw his picture everywhere. (cren singing in arabic) whenever his name is mentioned, you not just mentioned his name, you have to say, "may godc prothim, may god save him, may allah give him more life,ma god takes our lives and give it to him, because without him, we can't survive." and being a child, i thought he's immortal. we are humans, but he is something different. >> (speaking arabic): (audience applaung) >> at some point, i thought he is my grdfather, because i see him everywhere, and it was, like, yeah, this is my grandfather, he's cute, he's good, blah, blah, blah, he's brave.

this is what they teach us in the schools. and then when i was, like, 12, or maybe 11, 12, i realized, like, that no, he's th president of the country. and i have to never say anything bad about him, because i will be killed. >> and there's this guy calledas hassain and helike, (bleep) (speaking arabic), which means like, "(bleep) on saddam." everytime he says it, it's,"o like, h, my god, like... shh, shh, shh, zip it! zip it!" and he's, like, "so itto okay ay, '(bleep) god'?" and i was, like, "yes." "but, '(bleep) saddam'?" and i was, like, "!" (laughs) 'cause you don't know who's listening. and that's what he created. the idea that your next-door neighbor, your brother, your cousin, anyone, could be theon that reports you. ♪ (speaking arabic):

(people screaming on tv) (speaking arabic): (laughs) (birds chirping) (people talking in background) (dog barking) >> (speaking arabic):

♪ >> (interviewer): >> (speaking arabic): (people chanting, celebrating) (sound fades)

(speaking arabic): (explosion bangs) >> (sighs) (lighter clicks) (inhales) i was pro-war. absolutely pro-war. and so were many, many, many,

many iraqis. it's almost the end, you know? it's, like, let's just pus through, let's push through, let's get this (bleep) done, and then a better thing is gonna come.th land of dreams. ♪ (airaid sirens blaring) (esions rumbling) (guns firing) (explosions pounding) (guns firing) >> (speaking arabic):

♪ (bombs exploding) (car alarms blaring) (rocket passing) (explosion echoes)

>> you must haveeen scared. >> (chuckles) (speaking arabic): (explosions echo) (emergency sirens blaring) (peopltalking in background) (woman cryin ♪

>> the bombi did not stop. it was just bombs-- bos, day and night. (gunfire rattling innce) but i was going out amidst all that. m a heavy smoker. cigarettes. and i heard that one of the shops are still open and they're still selling cigarettes. so i stole-- or took, borrowed-- my cousin's small little bike. so it was a small little bike, and re i am, you know, it's, like, you know, i was, like, cycling on this thing. (gunfire rattling) but then all of a sudden, it got dark. and i look up, and there's this black cloud that engulfed everything around me. and i remember, like, i was just, like... like, "what's going on?" and then i discovered what it

was. here's what saddam did they dug wells, and they dumped crude oil in i and they lit it on fire. so that they can create visual distraction for the american pilots. they were thinking that these guys are using visuals to actually bomb, not satellite-guided missiles and stuff like that. they thought that, "oh, the plane's gonna come, the pilot looks ke this, and he's, like, 'oh, yeah, there's the targ over here. let's shoot right over there!'" (laughing) so then... (laughing) so all of baghdad, all of a sesudden, you had all of t like, wells of oil burning up, and the sky literally ju going dark. ♪ e >> this is geo bush, the president of the united states. this moment, the regime of from power and a la ofg removed

fear and cruelty is ending. the government of iraq and the future of your country will soon belong to you. ♪ (men whiling, cheering) >> (speaking arabic): (giggles) (laughs)

(birds chirping) >> the welcome here has been pretty good, everybody's, uh, helped us out, been friendly. so, uh, it's better than being shot at. >> wre're you from? >> from texas. >> is it like texas, being here, >> a lot different. i can understand what everybody's saying in texas. (people whistle and applaud) (crowd clamoring) >> we never though saddam will be removed, never. until i saw two americ soldiers standing in the streets. i was very happy to se at that time. like, "hi, i can speak english!" huckles) so when i saw them, i felt hope.

i ryd this dream that my cou is becoming one of the good countries inhe middle east. or maybe in the world. a country like america. this was my dream. actually, that was lots of people dream. ♪ en >> there was a gne sense of pe. it was, like"they're here,e theyre," you know? and then when we saw the statue... (breathes deeply) uncle looked at us and he it's done.""it's over.

(crowd cheering wildly) (cheering wildly) >> allahu akbar! allahu akbar! (sound fading) >> slowly but surely, the belief started becoming more and more actually happening right now. and then, oops, all of a sudden, we see saddamn in the streets. (crowd chanting)

>> (speang arabic):

(cro cheering) (crowd chanting) >> (interviewer): >> (speaking arabic):

>> and then he disappeared. and nobody knew where he was. just... (blows out sharply) gone. but yeah, he just frickin' left. is saddam gonna come bac because he wasn't captured. where was he? did he have another plan? we didn't know. (crowd yelling, clanging metal) n things were ng sfast. we couldn't cope. (metal dragging, crowd cheering) >> it wathursday. i came back from the school,

and when i went inside the house, i saw all my family watching the tv, like... like this. and i thought, "it's, it's not happening, this is notli possible, saddam is gone?" no, th is not possible. because on the tv, they are saying saddam is gone. in the street, it's different, so i believed the street, not. the (helicopter whirring) (guns firing) (explosion pounds) saddam was still the president i q in mosul. pall the mosques were preaching the sayer of, "may god protect saddam," and

then they start, like, shouting against the americans. after a few minutes, a humvee stopped by the mosque, and this very same preacher, all of ahi sudden, changemind, and he started shouting against saddam. i washocked.ed what just happ (people clamoring) many people followed him and swapped sides in a momen >> (chanting): >> then there was a chaos. you'd see people running to everywhere, stealing things from buildings, from the schools, from everything. >> they are looting everything, destroying everything.kn

i don' why. goodbye. >> when you have years and years of poverty, and then all of a sudden, the floodgates areop , with no supervision, what would you do?me , i was tempted. and i remember, you know, it was, like, seeing american soldiers, you know, it was, likewaving bye, you know, as people literally just looting every single government building, schools, hospitals, you name it.ry >> evee was running inside the bank, money was everywhere. people were out of their mind. >> if you go from a repressive regime, we've seen in that untidiness.period, there's meedom's untidy, and free people are free e mistakes

and commit crimes and do bad things. stuff happens! (people exclaiming) >> primarily, our big concern right now is trying to get things back to normal here in baghda they had a lot of problems with it's a pretty tougation, because we're not a police force. and we can't go thro patrolling, acting as policemen guarding everybody. >> right after the invasion, one of the very few jobs that you can do in iraq is to work as a translator. i was ready to work for a dollar.

and they were, like, "would, uh" $50 be oka and i was, like, "$50 a what?", you know, and i'm trying to compose myse.th an were, like, "a day." and i was, like, "50 fricking bucks, this is fricking awesome." $50 was my dad's salary for six months. i was making it in a day. and was, like, "all right, w got a deal." journalist with mewe'duld take a just drive around. this is mutanabbi street. this is one of the most old streets in baghdad and it's such an odd feeling, because before the war started, walking, buying, selling,e eating, drinking, and now... it's a ghost town. there is no electricity, no

water. it's an impossible siton on the one hand, ye hopeful, "oh, the future is going to be great," and all of that. at the same time, you are seeing clear evidence that... (exhal) things are not good. ♪ e (peopltalking in background) and then iraqis were under this , impression, it was, likekay, this is the greatest power in the world, they're gonna come d rebuild everything in, like, mont month one passed, there's still ilno electricity, there's no water. baghdad became, like, a cityf garbage. what's going on? (metal clangin ee

(tires scrch) nghail to the chief" playi) >> major combat operations in iraq have ended. in the battle of iraq, the united states and our allies have prevailed. (audience cheers and applauds) mission accomplished. (laughs): yeah? seriously? (car horn honks in bkground) simple things are what we werery asking for, imple. dignity, water, electricity, and a hope of job-- t even a job, just a hope that you'll get a job. these things, had they happened, iraqis would not have reacted in the way they did. we would have actually been

liberad for real. ♪ >> three to four mortar rounds were rorted as to landing within the vicinity. we have 18 soldiers who were wounded. (jet roaring overhead) (p son yelling in distance) (object bangs) ♪ >> we're going for hfa street in ordero do a follow-up for a story of...on an explosi happened for a humvee for the... i remember goi and doing the story. (speakinarabic) there is an attack near

american humvee, but then kids were there, and they all gotca basiy shredded by shrapnels.(p eople speaking arabic) >> the whole casualties of ts was 17 child, five of them get killed, and 12 of them werere d. a girlost her eye. completely lost her eye. this is the child. she lost her eye. hello! (speaking arabic): (girl): (speaking arabic): >> (sobbing) >> (speaking arabic): >> alaa. ♪

>> (softly): okay. (speaking arabic):

>> (crying and shouting) >> (speaking arabic): that's i >> (speaking arabic, crying): >> her, uh, daughter was seriously injured in thi attack. they were in the street. >> (sobbing, yelling) >> (speaking arabic):

>> (sobbing) >> (shouting in arabic): (people yelling) >> (shouting in arabic): >> (crying softly) (speaking arabic):

♪ >> that girl represents the beginning of the end for me. becausthings were still okay at that time, regardless of all of these atrocities that were the focus of the attacks was the americans. so people were still somewhat hopeful. now, the question is, how long did it last? and that was not long.

♪ e>> ladies and gentlemen, got him. (audience cheers and applauds) iraq's future has never beenul moreof hope. there is a new opportunity for the members of the former regime to end their bitter opposition. >> (speaking arabic): a >> (speakibic):

>> so when he was captured like thke, ah, no, it's his double, it's not him. impossible to be the same guy. he is invincible, he is like but they know it's he's saddam, but he is a...he a person. he's not a god. >> (speaking arabic): >> (interviewer): a >> (speakibic):

>> (talking on loudspeaker) >> (speaking arabic):

(people talking in background) eo (pple chanting) (explosion pounds) (people screing) ♪ ♪ (explosion pounds, rumbles)

>> (speaking arabic): >> it's like there was a nest for car bombs in iraq and just, this nest is open now, and you can hear 30 explosion every day. you just get used to that.

sometimes i was sleeping in the morning and i just hear the car bombs, i was, like, "shut the (bleep) up, i wanna sleep." i swear. before that, there wasn't al qaeda. i there was onlyurgents. (sirens blaring) we know that now it's never gonna be safe again.li >> (sobbing, yng) >> (speaking arabic):

(children calling) >> (speaking arabic):

(laughs) >> (talking in background) >> (spking arabic): (sirens blaring) (helicopter passing overhead)

(people talking in background) >> you know, working, doing what i did, being seen with forgn journalists puts you immediately in danger as a person with a rget painted onur yo chest. another friend of mine, by the w name of amanreceived similar death threats almost at the same time.wi him, they sent him his brotr's head in a garbage bag. (people talking in background)e so oheard this news, then the decision was verclear, because i have thr younger brothers.

it's hd. it's so hard to see all these things happeningn front of you, and you're not capable to do a thing towards that.no ing, as in nothing. but the problem is, there isn't much options. there isn't. we don't have any options. (sniffles) ♪ three days after that, i was in jordan, and i was illegal in jordan for a few months, then started the process of coming to canada. ♪ i felt... this with anyone. i've s i felt guilty. to have survived it.

♪ are in the most dangerous place in earth. their life could end in any second. every time you talk to friends, so-and-so got murdered, so-and-so died, and then the stories just continue and continue and continui dreaded fricking phones. ♪ >> you know, i know some fear break apart and fall into aould civil war.n' i believe these fears are justified. they're not justifd so long as we do not abandon the iraqi people in their hour of need. ♪

>> there was rumors thathe americanasked saddam, "how much time you need to, uh, to make the situation in iraq better?" n he said, "i wid one hour. 45 minutes to shave and to change my clothes, and 15 minutes to say my speech on tv. and this is how iraq will settle down, and it will be fine." it's not, uh... (speaking arabic) >> he believed that it could have happened. >> he could do it. ♪ >> (speaking arabic):

>> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic) >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): ha

>> how didmake you feel when you saw those images? >> mm... i had a relationship at that time, i didn't, i didn't care anything. i didn'tare about anything. m>> well, tell me about td on the street, then. do you remember the mood of the country? >> uh, his, his... popularity grow. he lost it, zero, and then he started to gain it again. from the court. >>n the streets. >> on the streets, yes. ♪ (birds chirping) >> (speaking arabic): >> i wouldn't want to call it

an exodus, but we've, we've come across quite a few people leaving for good. mostly people with money. uh, the poor can't really afford to do it. i've noticed aot of doctors and guys like that doing it. ♪ >> we were carrying two i.ds. one for, uh, sunni checkpoint and the other for the shiant checkp it's different, the names, the lots of people got killed andng. they are sunni, they were killed by sunni checkpoint, because they puld the wrong i.d.

and they were, like, "no, no, no, we are sunni, but we are faking we e shia." they... they g killed. >> (spking arabic): we >> okay, here o. >> (speaking arabic): >> it was very bad time, especially 2006 and 2007. ve bad time. normal civilians fighting normal civilians, and for no reason.au just b they are sunni and they are shia, and that's it.th but neveought that there would be a civil war between iraqis. this i never sawoming. i was ready to die. everyone in iraq was ready to

die. iehe knows that he could dny minute. random bullet, explosion. street could kill you.ing in the >> (yelling) it was like hell in iraq. >> (shouting) di i don't think there's a family and they 't lose anyone.er yone was losing everyone. >> can you tell what happened to your brother? >> (chuckling): (bleep) do i have to? >> of course you don't have to. >> (exhales) it's, uh, i hate that moment.

my brother was, uh... he... uh.. he was killed in a very brutal way. the, the mortar shell fell righh head. and he was... he became pieces, literally. i saw the pies. and we collected the pieces to make a body, so my mom thinks that there's a human. but there wasn't a human. i don't want to talk about it, please. ♪

>> (speaking arabic): ( eaking arabic):

♪ >> (speaking arabic): >> (cheering) ♪ >> (speaking arabic): (people talking in background) >> (speaking arabic):

(people talking in background) ♪ >> (speaking arabic):

>> (speaking arabic): ♪

♪ (helicopter flying)

>> for nearlnine years, our nation has been at war in iraq. the troops are now preparing to make their final march across the border and out of e country. iraq's future will be in the hands ofts own people. our war there will be over. >>t just touches my heart to see our troops comin. job well done. ♪ >> (speaking arabic):

>> my friend! >>ow are you? how's your day? >> not too bad, can't complain. yeah, another day in paradise. >> (chuckles): yea ♪ they do say, and it's true, home iwhere heart is. and my heart is in baghdad and ver will be. plus, it's (bleep) cold here.

(laughs) i arrived to canada, met this beautiful, loving, fricking woman. i'm married. got educated here. i studied film and media. my name is waleed rabiaa. >> sorry. >> i was really an intense individual at that time. (on laptop): my name is waleed rabiaa. i left my country eight years ago. and now i want to retu et i couldn'tn home until 2012, because that's when i finally got my permanent residency. i spoke to my wife and i was, like, "i can't take it anymore." i gotta go home.

and i knew that my brothers were waiting for me. (laughing) (car hn honking) (music playing) >> i don't even know what i'm goa do when i see my mothe (laughing) >> (speaking arabic): >> i mean, not to see your mom for eight years, it was an sanely happy moment. (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): >> allawi, what are doing? >> "what are you doing," yes.r i, i cleanface. >> and it just hit me.y i leftothers, they were kids. the youngest was nine years old.

i put him to bed. and i was thinking, like, it's almost like i was in a dream, and i just woke up and you'rect exing that not two minutes ha gone by. ra >> (speaking ac) (laughing) >> i wanted to do a high schoo friend rnion. some of them, you ow, started coming up with excuses and excuses, and there's this friend of mine called hakkam. he, finally, he was, like, "no, no. if you want to hang out, just come here, we'll hang out, youi, anand i was, like, "but why, our friends..." and he's, like, "because you (bleep) vited al samarai." "yeah." and i was, like, "doot remember, like, we fricking snuck out of school together, ke, you know, it was, like, we, we did all of these, of course i invited him." and the guy was, like, "oh, you're one of those. he is sunni." and i was, like, "hold on.

do y mean to tell me that yo don't speak to him because he's sunni?" and he was, like, "yeah." and he was, like, "and let me tell you something, waleed. this is the new iraq."yi (music p, people shouting) the sunnis at that time had ovtten it really, really bad. 'cause the iraqinment was just pushing and pushing on these people. >> (speaking arabic): (chanting)uting, cheering

>> the pme minister is a disaster. he started the collective punishmentf the sunnis with the support of america. maliki started arresting the sunni leadership, he cleaned the government from all the sunnis. it became impossible for both sides to fd peace again. ha >> the iraqi arms been t intensifyiheir operations. there is sessions of torture. this wasoing on for years. >> (speaking arabic): >> and the sentiment was very clear. the iraqi government is shia, we are sunnis. a we gonna get our rights back.(c

wd chanting) i know something bad is going to happen and i have to leave again. i was sobbing like a kid. 'cause i didn't know whether i will see them again or not. >> (eaking arabic): >> (blows kiss) yeah.

something was a-brewing. and that thing... (bleep) us for good now. (sirens blaring) (people shouting) h (horking) >> (speaking arabic): (murmurs) (man speaking arabic) (people cheering)

>> we drove through the city. the army that used to inlt the people on daily basis ine checkpoints have disappeared. c ollapsed. we thought the security forces wo td come back, fight back, terrorists would leave. but then when i saw the weapons, the new cars, they were almost all in one uniform... i became totally sure that isis (horns honking)

uns firing) >> can you just explain why people are cheering? >> they weren't welcoming isis, from corrupted troops andsion government, people felt free for the first time. this what isis was selling to the people. but maki and his government is gone. (people cheering) (whistles blowing) ♪ o what we usede as the police now is the islamic police. ir what used to bi flag now is the black flag of isis.

from day one, you wod see in e street what they called the media outlet putting on the tv,e ononitor, isis videos, showing their propaganda. >> (singing in arabic) >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): >> i saw myself children between 12 to 15 years old joisis just after watching a video.

♪ >> would isis have existed if amera had stayed? >> i don't think so, no. americans would have, would have spped that. the u.s.a. committed two major bad things in iraq.wa firsinvasion, and the second was withdrawal from iraq beca were not ready at all, not, we didn't, didn't have an army, good army. we didn't have a good police to control the ground, we didn't have a song government-- it was very weak. so when, when they withdrawal, it was a mistake. ♪ so in blinking of eye, isis controlled three cities, three

major cities, in iraq. >> (speaking arabic): >> (cheering) ♪ (p eople shouting) (guns firi, horns honking) >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic):

♪ >> (speaking arabic): (child laughing) ♪

(both laugh softly) in (man sging in arabic) (speaking arabic):

>> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): (breathes deeply)

(sniffles) ♪ (voice trembling) (guns firing)

(breath trembling) (exhales) (imitates snoring)

♪ >> (speaking arabic):

(people calling in distance) ♪ ie

>> (intervr): >> (speaking arabic):

>> (speaking arabic):

>> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaki arabic): )(man speaking arabic on >> i was back in canada. my brother called me and he s, like, "daesh just took over

tikrit." and then the speicher thing happened. it was a matter of time until daesh come to baghdad. and i was, like, "okay, how much money do you have?" and heas, like, "i don't have any," and i was, like, "all right, okay. give me one day and i'll come back to you." so i scrounge up as much money as i can put together, send it over, and i was, like, "you buy tickets right now, and you go to turkey, right now."ov so i the whole family to turkey within a matter of a ek. and i remember talking to my wife and telling her, i was, like... it just never stops. it never stops. li, dah made us look at al qaeda time and they were, like, "ah, they are just a bunch of jokers, these guys." and they were, in comparison.s)

(lau ♪ >> we heard of speicher. assis distributed directly videos, so we were aware of what they were talking,ike, that it is a great victory for the islamic state. ♪ but i still remember seeing those people in the, ithe truck while begging isis. and this guy who was killing them using the pistol and throwing them into ter. who would, who, who would be able to do this? who can do this? once you are part of isis,

you are a monster. >> tell me, did you, d know you were joining isis? >> (speaking arabic): pl

(peoe chanting) (speaking arabic):

(guns firing) >> so what happens at the training camp? >> (speaking arabic):

>> (interviewer): >> (speaking arabic): (voice over loudspeaker) >>speaking arabic):

♪ >> (speaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic): ( eaking arabic): >> (speaking arabic):

♪ >> (speaking arabic):

♪ (laughs)

♪ >> there were rumors in town, some people were saying mosul vee is a jewish iraqi who his city. some others saying that this is a professional psychological operation from cia. >> (speaking arabic):

>> isis feared what mosul eye was dog. telling em they are not alone in town. someone is watching you. isis is not controlling everything in our life. someone said, "i wish i knew who was mosul eye, because i would behead him myself." from the very beginning i felt the responsibility and the importance of exposing what's happening, putting everything online. this led to the creation of

mosul eye. >> that was you? >> yh. at least i was doing something against them. at isis with all itsns couldn't manipulate the truth. (people shouting, chanting) the normal day under isis rule was hand cutting... stoning women in the street, and execution. yeah, this was a normal day in... under isis and if this didn't happen, we would say like, "wow, there's something wrong. why there is no execution?"

♪ >> did you watch the executions? >> yes. they were beheaded. raffic sounds) ♪ i the momeecide to leave mosul was the most difficult moment in my life. the house next door where i live was an isis senior leader. the house behind us was also an isis leader.

the fear that my family would be punished as a result of what i wadoing was getting higher there was only one way to leave. (speaking arabic): ♪

>> the battle to retake mosul begun. was the iraqi security forces with the support of the united states. (rapid gunfire) i wanted the city to be liberated.af but i waid because it's at. fi to finish isis. it's completely different fromng liberatihe people. (heavyunfire) when trump came to power, he said that he wanted isis to be

defeated at any cost. part of this cost was my brother, my eldest brother. he left four children behind. >> we've done more against isis in nine months than the previoun administra done during its whole administration, by far, by far. (cheers and applause) and isis is now being dealt one defeat after another. (explosions, rumbling) they never got hit like this before, and we've made their lives very, very difficult. (thunderous explosion) (man yelling) ♪

(gunshots, seams in distance) (sighs) ♪ >> (speaking arabic): (explosion) (gun shots)

(child crying) (speaking arabic): (gun shots, shouting)

(explosion gun fire, shouting) ♪ (helicopter droning) (people chatting) >> i'm still3 and i have lived all of this. americans, al qaeda, civil war,

the killing of sunnis, the killing of shia, the executions, the beheadings. it's a miracle i'm still ae to talk, isn't it? it's very dangerous to forget. because memory all is what's left for us. ♪ i rememb the...op the in my neighborhood. and that we were able to play in the street. with no fear.

(sighs) yeah, this is, this is at i remember when i was child in mosul. mosul is known of its minaret, which we call our old lady. because it is watching us and protecting us. you would find very old and ancient houses.ll you ee mosque close to a church and tn a shrine. it's the place where you belong and the place where you identify yourself with. and when the sun shine... shining just becauul isun is there.

unfortunately, everythg i have described has been destroyed. my city is gone. ♪ >> the goals of our coalitione ear and limited. coalition forces will help maintain law and ordero that iraqis can live in security. and i assure every citizen of iraq, your nation will soon be free. ♪

♪ >> (speaking arabi:

♪ >> go to pbs.org/frontlinebo for more the people in this film. >> at some point i thought he's my grandfather, because i see him everywhere. >> cause you don't know who's listening d that's what he created. >> and watch our past films out iraq. connect to the frontline community facebook and twitter, and watch anytimen the pbs video app or pbs.org/frontline. >> narratse: they are the ntial workers. >> i started getting lightheaded. my chest starting to hurt. i couldn't really breathe. >> narrator: in the fas and farms. >> they're more expod to other people. i

a lot of them fact live in fear. >> narrator: producing america's food supply. >> coworker showed up to work and she was ughing. she was threatened with her job if she didn't show up to work. >> narratost frontline inates. >> it doesn't feel like we're essential, it feels like we're slaves. >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support is provideby the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, coitted to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org. the ford foundion: working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide.at at fordfoun.org. additional support is provided by the abrams founda committed to excellence in journalism. the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awaren critical issues. the john and helen glessner family trust.

supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon andg jo annr. captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> for more on this another "frontline" programs, visit our website at pbs.org/frontline. ♪ frontline's, "once upon a time in iraq" is available on amazon prime deo.

♪ ♪ ♪ you're watching pbs. ♪ ♪

from the new york life foundation. ♪ -kai had felt sad before, but thisifferent, something more. mom didn't show it, but she was sad, too. without kai's dad, their whole world was turned blue. but this didn't mean they'd be frightened forever. brave sometimes hides in the strangest of places. for kai, that place was a sweater. ♪ ♪ re's something we don't talk abt, even though it affects each of us, all of us.