BSkyB - Ross Kemp The Fight Against Isis (2016)

Ross Kemp The Fight Against Isis

Talk about putting yourself in harm’s way… Ross Kemp and his camera team dodge a sniper’s bullets in a forward position as they follow the Kurdish advance against Isis in Iraq and northern Syria. This area, between the Tigris and Euphrates, is supposed to be the “cradle of civilisation”, but it’s now a wasteland, with towns flattened In Iraq, Kemp stares around blankly at the “post-Armageddon” remains of Sinjar, with booby traps still in place in the bombed-out shells of churches.

And the human cost is appalling one clearly shell-shocked Kurdish woman describes bluntly how her children were either kidnapped or killed; and Kemp sees the results of one mass killing, which brings him close to tears. His questioning isn’t always subtle “Do you need more weapons?” he asks one commander under fire, rather obviously. The latter grins “If we had tanks, we could have cleared these pigs out.” And there’s a fascinating encounter with young women soldiers, whose commitment to their cause is all-embracing. The former EastEnders actor visits Iraq and Syria to embed himself with Kurdish armed forces, who are fighting on the front lines against the violent tide of Islamist rebels sweeping across the Middle East. During the course of his tour, Ross comes face-to-face with the enemy as he encounters jihadists serving the so-called Islamic State.

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