The experience of travelling to Iraq during the Iran-Israel War

On Friday 13 June, Israel launched a series of missiles to Iran. The missiles caused the death of at least 78 people, and wounded 320 others.

This triggered the aerial war between Israel and Iran, in which both countries continually sent missiles at each other, targeting military facilities and residential zones. This aerial war has caused devastating damage on both sides of the conflict.

This aerial war isn’t between bordering countries, but rather between two cities on the opposite sides of the Middle East. This has led three countries to be indirectly involved in this conflict: Jordan, Syria, and Iraq.

These countries have continuously had their airspace invaded by both armies of this conflict. This has led to the countries closing down their airports and airspaces.

On 9 June, I travelled to Iraq to visit a couple of lifelong friends, without any expectations of war breaking out, leaving me stuck in Iraq. My trip was going normally, hanging out with friends, exploring new parts of the city, and trying new restaurants.

On 9 June, I travelled to Iraq to visit a couple of lifelong friends, without any expectations of war breaking out, leaving me stuck in Iraq

On 13 June, I woke up to the news of the missile strikes, but didn’t think much of it, assuming the situation would de-escalate in a few days. I was mistaken; Iran fired missiles at Tel Aviv, killing 25 people the next day.

Erbil International Airport shall remain closed, and is currently closed as of writing this (19 June). My trip was intended to last until 21 June, however the war has caused uncertainty, leaving me stuck in Erbil, the one city that has been bombed by Iran previously, the most recent case occurring in January 2024.

During the first three days of the conflict, the streets of Erbil were empty and silent. Families were in their homes fixated on the news, praying for peace in the region. Eventually, Hawleris (residents of Erbil) calmed down and life started to continue as normal, except for educational institutions that had graduations and exams delayed until further notice.

The war has caused uncertainty, leaving me stuck in Erbil, the one city that has been bombed by Iran previously

The first day of the conflict was on a Friday. I spent it with my father; we drove through the empty streets, and even the 120 road, notorious for its traffic, was empty. This left us with questions, but we still went to the mall despite the news. The mall that would always be full on a Friday was empty, and most shops had the news playing on high volume. My father and I decided to de-escalate and played billiards in a cafe. Eventually we started to listen to the news while playing billiards, as we had no other choice.

On the second day of the conflict, I spent it with my friends playing Padel in 38 degree heat. In-between every match, we would constantly refresh the news, hoping for de-escalation. Life seemed to go on as normal except we were checking the news more regularly, while the older generations were too worried to even leave their houses.

On the third day, my friends and I decided to take advantage of the empty streets and decided to explore places I haven’t seen in the city before, such as the boulevard, and we drove around Erbil, appreciating the mountain landscape mixed with modern and traditional Kurdish architecture.

Life seemed to go on as normal except we were checking the news more regularly, while the older generations were too worried to even leave their houses

On the fourth day, as everything seemed to be going back to normal, traffic spiked up to the usual numbers, and adults started to get back to work. I was hopeful that the airport would reopen by the end of my trip, but Iranian drones were spotted hovering on the outskirts of Erbil, keeping the airport and airspace closed.

On the sixth day, traffic to the north rose by an extreme amount, roads leading to the Turkish border and isolated villages such as Shaqlawa. This came after Trump posted on X warning those in the region.

Now I spend most of my days playing Padel with my friends, despite being between two countries at war with each other. I made sure to remain safe during this time by avoiding certain areas that may be targeted by either side.

The Boar sends its condolences to everyone affected by this conflict.