Articles by Blown Periphery

Ash Shaddadi, the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 Ellis raised his carbine to kill the man who had dropped the grenade. It was a futile gesture because in the confined space of the [more…]

Ash Shaddadi, the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 Darkness was falling and they could smell the petro-chemicals from the oilfields out to the west. The winds had shifted round from the north and [more…]

Ash Shaddadi, the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 When Major Halward woke up the following morning there was frost on his sleeping bag. It was still dark while he pulled on his boots, [more…]

Ash Shaddadi, the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 They crossed the Kahbur River about five kilometres south of Ash Shaddadi at 08:45 the next morning. Ripley had picked up on the mood of [more…]

Northern Iraq and the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 Ripley lay in the tarpaulin hammock, underneath an overhead poncho they had used to keep the sun out of her eyes. They were sensitive [more…]

Northern Iraq, December 2017 Halward clambered up into the extremely cramped rear compartment of the Supacat. They had cleared a space so that Ripley could lie down. She was huddled in her sleeping bag plus [more…]

Northern Iraq, December 2017 It was Sunday. Ripley had been kept awake by the wailing of the female fighters, mourning the death of the Peshmerga during the fighting of the previous day. They had buried [more…]

Northern Iraq, November-December 2017 The Kurds were ostensibly Sunni Muslims although they seemed to display a rather more developed attitude towards the practice of their faith. The women generally covered their heads with either a [more…]