Northeastern Iraq
—
Piece by piece, the young man in a black and white scarf – a keffiyeh – takes apart his AK-47 assault rifle, placing them side-by-side on the rocky ground. His brow furrows. He can’t push one of the pieces back into place as he tries to reassemble the rifle.
Watched by his comrades, commanders and a CNN crew, the young peshmerga – a Kurdish term meaning “those who face death” – is uncomfortable being the center of attention.
Everyone chuckles. His instructor hands him another rifle to do it all over again.
“They’re new,” Karim Farkhapur says by way of an explanation, referring to the fighters.
…