Kurdish peshmerga forces have been battling Islamic State militants outside the city of Sinjar since January.

The peshmerga are holding the heights to the north of the city, while IS controls the city itself. There is no sign of any civilians left in the city.

The warfare is largely static: both sides are stuck in their positions, sniping at each other, while IS occasionally tries to storm some of the Kurdish frontal positions, or lob mortars across their lines into the rear.

Low on heavy weapons themselves, the peshmerga typically call in coalition airstrikes when they spot IS forces moving around. On 25 and 26 May, when this report was filmed, the Kurds called in nearly a dozen airstrikes.

According to a report posted on the website of US Central Command said that on 26 May “near Sinjar, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying two ISIL buildings and two ISIL heavy machine guns.”

The city of Sinjar is important because sits on a road between Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria, the two biggest cities controlled by IS. The militants use the road to move personnel and equipment between the two major theatres of war.

The 12th peshmerga brigade, which has been on the lines since the beginning of May, lost 13 killed and nearly a hundred wounded in their first three weeks of deployment.

Marjaayoun, Lebanon

February 26, 2015

A force of about 20 Israeli soldiers crossed the Israeli-Lebanese border on February 26 and reached the Wazzani River. The Israeli force, equipped with military dogs, patrolled an area usually used for recreation by local Lebanese. While Israeli airplanes flew over the area and an Israeli armored vehicle was positioned on the Israeli side of the border, Lebanese soldiers and security forces, as well as the United Nations peacekeeping force members, were on alert.

Video includes clear shots of Israeli soldiers on the Lebanese side of the border, the security fence, an Israeli armored personnel carrier and UN peacekeeping vehicles.

Shotlist

Wide of Wazzani River valley
Wide of Israeli soldiers marching
R-L pan of UNIFIL armored personnel carrier
Wide of two Israeli soldiers on guard
Wide of UNIFIL armored personnel carrier and soldier
Wide of Israeli soldiers marching
Wide of Israeli soldiers and Wazzani River
Medium of Israeli soldier on guard
Wide of Israeli soldiers and Wazzani River
Medium of Israeli soldiers marching
Wide of Israeli soldiers marching along Wazzani River
Wide of Israeli soldiers marching
Wide of Israeli soldiers marching
Medium of one Israeli soldier marching
Wide of Israeli soldiers marching
Wide of Israeli armored personnel carrier
Wide of Wazzani River valley
Wide of UNIFIL armored personnel carrier and transmission pole

Nahr Ibrahim, Lebanon
Febraury 9, 2015

The construction of a dam in the area of Janna, Lebanon, is causing wide controversy among local residents, ecologists and even certain politicians.
Janna, whose name means ‘paradise’ in Arabic, is a picturesque valley near Ibrahim River in north Lebanon, which hosts a rare ecosystem according to ecologists. Concerned Lebanese fear that this project will ruin the natural site without succeeding in retaining water. Geologist Samir Zaatiti warns that the surface on which the dam is being built covers large pits that absorb water.
There are also fears that the project might threaten the water source that feeds the Jeita Grotto, a submerged cave known as a tourist destination.
Preparations for the construction have started and many trees in the areas have been cleared.
Despite its rich water resources, Lebanon has struggled with a water distribution crisis due to the lack of adequate infrastructure.

The full version of the story is available here: https://www.transterramedia.com/media/56852

TRANSCRIPT

SOUNDBITE (Arabic, Man) Dr. Samir Zaatiti, Hydrologist:
0:17- 0:33
“My professor Michel Bakrovich, the president of the French Hydrologists Association, AHF, believes that this dam will be a like a sieve. He said that it will be dangerous. There is a high risk that earthquakes could occur under the dam.”

SOUNDBITE (Arabic, Man), Jean Abi Akar, Local Resident
00:42 – 00:57
“We have lived in this area since 1820. Our grandparents and fathers’ bones are here, as well as their sweat and blood. Nobody was able to preserve this land. The monks were not able to preserve this land and did not allow us to preserve it either. We were gradually displaced.”

SOUNDBITE (Arabic, Man) Raja Noujaim, Archaeologist and member of the Association to Protect Lebanon’s Heritage
00:58 – 01:33
“The study we have conducted is very clear; this dam will not retain water because the surface at its bottom does not allow it. There are wells that can cover the need for water in the entire Byblos area. However, they [the government] are not interested in doing small projects like these. They want to do big projects to boast about them. Of course, corruption is involved. “More than 300,000 trees and shrubs in this area will be cut down. I dare any expert to come and say that this operation does not have a negative influence. I dare any expert to say that this dam is being built to serve agriculture.”

SOUNDBITE (Arabic, Woman) Joelle Barakat, Activist at the Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa

01:48 – 02:12
“Many inhabitants of the area are farmers, so this river is vital for them. The local inhabitants are the only people who will suffer because of this project. Their natural environment will be ruined; they will no longer benefit from the valley as a touristic site. All of this is being done so that water which is not clean can reach Beirut; water that needs to be purified.”

The word "Himalaya" means “House of Snow” in Sanskrit. Home to the highest summits on the planet, the Himalayas span more than 1,500 miles through northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and China. This is majestic landscape of mountains, green valleys and glaciers are also home to many peoples who have managed to live in these harsh surroundings.

Deep V valleys are the main landscape of the island interior, surrounded by waterfalls and views to the Atlantic ocean in every corner

Deep V valleys rapid change from subtropical sun to intense fog and humity

Sijban village is located deep in the Swat Valley, which was ruled by the Taliban before a military operation by Pakistani army restored peace in the area.

In the Coa Valley of northern Portugal, archaeologists have discovered around 100 rock panels which depict animation at 2 or 3 frames per second carved onto the rocks of the valley. This is a pan shot of the Coa Valley.

Looking out onto a valley above Qartaba

Gul-e-Khandana, the school's head teacher, helped save the girls from the Taliban at the school where she taught. She oversees the morning assembly with her students.

Head teacher Gul Khandana prays with her students in a girl primary school.

Gul Khandana, a head teacher at Sijban girls primary school in Swat Valley attends morning assembly with her students.

Head teacher Gul Khandana inspects morning assembly at her girls primary school. Th village of Sijban and surrounding areas were under Taliban rule for a short period before Pakistani army operations began.

A girl prays during a morning school assembly at her primary school in the village Sijban, Swat Valley, Afghanistan.

Gul Khandana, the school's headmistress, with her students. Khanadana helped save the school from destruction at hands of Taliban during their short rule.

Gul Khandana along with her husband resisted pressure from Taliban to stop teaching at the girls school during their rule. She refused to give in to the threats and continued her work.

Gul Khandana in her office in girls primary school in village Sijban, Swat. Gul Khandana resisted the effort by local Taliban to burn down the girls school.

Gul Khandana with her students in a classroom. The Sijban girls primary school was saved from Taliban by Gul Khandana as she refused to let them destroy it.

Gul Khandana teaches at Sijban girls primary school in Swat Valley.

Headmistress Gul Khandana teaches a class. The school provides education at the primary level, however Gul would like the government to upgrade it to a middle category of schooling due to a rising demand for girls education.

Gul Khandana interacts with her student at a girls primary school in Sijban.

Gul Khandana teaches at Sijban girls primary school in the Swat Valley.The number of girls in the school has significantly increased since peace was restored in the area.

Gul Khandana teaches at Sijban girls primary school in Swat Valley. The school was saved by destruction by Gul Khandana when Taliban threatened to burn it down.

Girls studying at Sijban primary school in Swat.

Gul Khandana teaches at Sijban girls primary school in Swat Valley. The school was damaged during the military operation even though it survived the Taliban rule.

A view from inside Sijban girls primary school in Swat Valley. The school was saved by destruction by Gul Khandana when Taliban threatened to burn it down.

Girls sing in Sijban primary school in Swat Valley Pakistan.

Girls at Sijban primary school in the Swat Valley. The valley was under Taliban rule for a short time before the Pakistani army took over.

Girls outside the Sijban primary school in Swat Valley.

Swat valley was very popular with local and foreign tourists before the Taliban takeover. Although peace was restored in the area, foreigners are still not advised to visit without permission of the Pakistani army, who continue to have a strong military presence in the valley four years after the operation.

The Swat valley is famous for its orchards and beautiful weather. The valley was off limits to any tourists during Taliban rule.

The Swat valley is returning to normalcy after two long years of turbulence at the hands of the Taliban.

A girl prays during the morning school assembly in a small village called Sijban, deep in the Swat Valley. Gul Khandana, a school teacher, helped save the school from the destruction during the Taliban's short rule, during which they attempted to burn it down.

Headmistress Gul Khandana prays with her students during the morning assembly in Sijban, a village deep in the Swat Valley. The village and school were threatened by violence from the Taliban during their short rule.

Head teacher, Gul Khandana oversees the morning assembly with her students. The Taliban threatened to burn the school down during their short rule.
Swat Valley, Pakistan.

School teacher Gul Khandera’s stubborn resistance to the Taliban has made her a heroine in her hometown of Siljbon, and a voice for girls' education rights in Pakistan. The school where Gul Khandera was teaching, which also happens to be the school where Gul herself was educated, was threatened by the Taliban because it had female students.
Gul Khandera's refusal to comply with the Taliban's demands made her a personal target, forcing her to move to Mardan. When the Taliban were ousted from Swat, Gul returned and was relieved to see that her school had not been destroyed. Now a considered a hero, Gul has become headmaster of the school and is working to re-establish education for girls in the Swat Valley.