This story appears in the March issue of VICE magazine. Click HERE to subscribe.In 2014, the Islamic State stormed through central and northern Iraq, conquering Mosul within days. An offensive to retake the city began in October 2016, displacing more than 100,000 people, but on January 19, 2017, Iraqi forces declared victory in Mosul's eastern half. Some 30,000 people have since returned, but ISIS still controls the western section, its last major stronghold in the region. During the campaign for liberation, a fight broke out on this bridge in east Mosul, when civilians were just beginning to return to their homes. Over the past two years, ISIS has destroyed most of the bridges to deter travel, but they remain the primary way to cross and transfer goods from a safe area to an occupied one—which are sometimes, as seen here, only a mile apart from each other. Below are other selects from Hinsch's new body of work.
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