Iraqi Refugees: Life in the Shadows
It's over six years since the beginning of the Iraq war, and the troubles continue. To date, over 4,000 American soldiers have been killed in combat.
While the loss of combat troops is certainly tragic, even more stunning is the World Health Organization report based on Iraqi Health Ministry figures which estimates that 151,000 Iraqi civilians were killed between March 2003, the start of the invasion, and June 2006. Many of the reports of civilian deaths are disputed. What cannot be argued, however, is another grave consequence of the Iraq War: the displacement crisis as a mass exodus of Iraqis flee the instabilities and ever-increasing sectarian violence at home, tearing their families apart. Early last year, with the support of the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR), I traveled to Amman, Jordan to photograph and record a few of these families trapped in a no-man's land; asylum seekers looking for refuge, too afraid to return to their blood-soaked country. Here are a few of their stories:
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[This film is dedicated to the memory of my Mother Liala Payne. Two weeks before I left for Jordan I explained my plans. She was proud and answered as she always did when i told her about a trip abroad.. Simply "Take care". Without her giving me the freedom she did as I was growing up I would not be the person I am now. I am sorry she did not get to see these stories. She died suddenly as I was due to leave. I flew out a week after we laid her to rest.]
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