Journey in the Danger Zone: Iraq

Adnan Sarwar arrived in Iraq in 2003 as a 24-year-old soldier with the British army. He initially viewed his mission as liberating the country's people from Saddam Hussein, but when parts of the population turned against the allied forces, Adnan's life was changed forever by an ambush which killed one of his friends in the army. He saw first-hand how driving Saddam from power led to more violence and ultimately the creation of Isis. Now, with Isis gone, Adnan is returning to Iraq to discover the country afresh, beyond the headlines and wars to meet everyday people rebuilding their lives. Travelling the length of the country from the snowy mountains in the north, he visits oil-rich territories still contested by different factions in the country, cities which bore the brunt of Isis's reign of terror and the allied bombing raids against them, the country's capital Baghdad and finally the southern marshes and deserts where he served with the army. Along the way he makes friends, comes face-to-face with old enemies and asks if the country can ever escape its cycle of violence.