Iraq - Girl tells a soldier who saved her from the clutches of ISIS fighters: Most Wanted

Most Wanted

Published on Oct 23, 2016

Miracle of Mosul: Emotional moment girl, 10, is saved from the clutches of barbaric ISIS fighters who murdered her dad and tells soldier, 'I thought you'd never come'

- Little Aysha, 10, from Kafer, Iraq, went three days without food or water
- She was rescued by soldiers as there were IS fighters in her village
- Her village, near Mosul, has been under the control of IS since 2014

If ever a little girl deserved to cry it is ten-year-old Aysha. For three days without food or water, she had clung desperately to her mother as the terrifying battle to liberate Mosul from the clutches of the barbaric Islamic State raged outside their home.

When salvation finally arrived, in the form of burly Iraqi troops, she bravely fought back tears and with fear, trauma and relief etched across her pretty face desperately thanked her rescuers, offering even to kiss their feet.

Their village of Kafer, 18 miles from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, has been under the control of the Islamist fanatics since 2014 when the army fled in the face of their ruthless advance.
But last Thursday following days of relentless air strikes and fierce fighting, liberation finally came.


TV cameramen captured the moment when little Aysha, wearing a sparkly T-shirt and pink leggings, was rescued by an armed military police unit that has been fighting alongside the Iraqi Army as they fight to regain territory from the murderous IS.

Barely able to contain her emotions, clutching biscuits and bottled water handed to her by the soldiers, she poured out as if fearful she would not survive to tell the full horror of her ordeal: 'I'm so thankful to you. I thought you would never come for us. We have had no food or water for three days and it was just me and my mother, my father was taken and killed by the terrorists.

'The IS men have taken away so many children from my village and we don't know what happened to them. Some of them died. The men made my mother give them her money and jewels and we have had nothing. Thank you, thank you. I would like to kiss your feet.'

Instead the soldier beside her, in his armour-plated vest, affectionately leaned down to kiss the top of her head, then scooped her into his arms and carried her off to safety.