On the banks of the Tigris river, men sat and watched, smiling with relief as Iraqi policemen, soldiers and local youths bathed in muddy spring water in a town that was recaptured from Islamic State just a few days ago.
Hammam al-Alil was seized from the jihadists by Iraqi Federal Police units last week as Iraqi government forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and Shi'ite militias backed by US-led air strikes pushed their offensive to recapture Mosul from Islamic State.
Residents of the area said they were unable to reap the benefits of the springs for more than two years under the rule of Islamic State, who prohibited anyone from going there.
“People used to come to these springs from all around the world, from the Gulf, Europe, Asia, they would all come here. This area was open to the world, everyone was happy, people would stay here for three or four days. That was until the enemy of humanity came to us, the indescribable enemy that has no values or morals, the enemy, Daesh (a commonly used Arabic acronym for Islamic State), who came to us from the land of ignorance. They prohibited all men from undressing and swimming in the spring,” said Taha Daoud, a resident of the town.
A member of the federal police said he was happy to see life return to the springs, declaring that “victory is close” in the battle to reclaim nearby Mosul.
For more details, watch the full report in the video above