Acknowledgements

This book tells the story of the tragic struggle for survival in Iraq.

In attempting to tell this story we embarked on our own struggle and we would not have been able to complete it without the help of others. One of the most rewarding aspects of finishing work on a book is the ability to thank all those people who helped to make it possible. To this end, we would like to thank Major Saad Hamdani, General Kamil abu-Fahed al-Dulaymi, Major Basim Alwan, Colonel Saud Hamdani and Ahmed Asim Efan for facilitating our access to vital local knowledge and networks in Iraq. We are also grateful for the support received from Marcus d'Apice, Andreas Carleton-Smith, David Amos and John Harris. Nor can we forget Dragan Zivonjinovic from the University of Belgrade for providing a travelling researcher access to library resources.

At Lancaster, we must thank Ludovica Di Giorgi for her painstakingly thorough research assistance over the summer of 2015, which has proved invaluable. In addition, Grant Helm, Maria Louisa Engl Lopez and other Richardson Institute interns provided important assistance along the way; we are in your debt. We received helpful feedback from colleagues from a number of institutions across the UK but it would be invidious to list them all, for fear of missing anyone. Thank you to everyone who engaged in discussions with us about ideas in the book; you know who you are and we remain eternally grateful.

We would also like to thank all the staff at I.B.Tauris, especially Joanna Godfrey and Sophie Campbell whose patience made the process far more enjoyable. We must also thank Maria Marsh for helping to get the project off the ground. Finally, our families have provided us with unwavering support since embarking on this project and we could not have done it without you. Thank you!

Ultimately, the book is dedicated to those who continue their struggle to survive and take care of their families and friends, doing so in incredibly difficult circumstances, our thoughts remain with you.

Map 1 The Middle East

Map 2 Iraq and areas of ISIS presence