Escaping after an IS massacre
Ali Hussein Kadhim was an Iraqi soldier captured by Islamic State group fighters. He is one of a few survivors of an atrocity that killed an estimated 1,700 men.
Ali Hussein Kadhim was a new Iraqi army recruit when the Islamic State group first emerged. As the militants approached, he and thousand of other unarmed cadets fled their base in Tikrit, but they were captured and taken for execution. Miraculously, Ali survived, but he was left stuck in enemy territory and needed help. Ali spoke to Outlook's Mobeen Azhar, and his story contains strong descriptions of violence.
Photo: Ali Hussein Kadhim, taken from the documentary Once Upon a Time in Iraq
Credit: 大象传媒
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The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
