Deserted streets in a desolate town, Makhmour, shows all the signs of a community on the frontline. Lying between Mosul and Kirkuk in north central Iraq it has been the scene of fierce fighting between ISIL and Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The jihadist extremists have been driven out, but the town remains vulnerable to attack and would be a major prize for ISIL as a base from which to strike at the Kurdish stronghold of Arbil.
Euronews’ correspondent Mohammad Sheikhibrahim travelled to Makhmour
as the Peshmerga sought to strengthen its grip on the town. In this edition of Reporter he talks to some of the Kurdish forces’ military commanders about the challenges they face in battling a better armed and ruthless enemy.
Coming under fire at a Peshmerga outpost he experiences for himself the stresses and dangers of life on the frontline line.
Watch the video.