AS IT IS 2016-11-27 Olive Trees Survive Islamic State Occupation

AS IT IS 2016-11-27 Olive¹ Trees Survive Islamic State Occupation

The Iraqi government campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State, or IS, militants³ has resulted in major damage to nearby towns and villages.

But the fighting has not stopped sales of a local food product: olives⁴.

Issa, a 24 year old Iraqi man, points to a group of olive trees at the base of a nearby mountain.

"For two years I couldn't get to those trees," he says. "But now I water them and they will come back. Olives are strong."

Peshmerga forces controlled the mountains while IS forces held his village. Issa says the militants would not let local people get too close, for fear they might escape.

Two weeks ago, Peshmerga forces captured⁵ the town of Bashiqa after a three-day battle. Homes and some streets are still being cleared of bombs. But along the roads, people like Issa sell olives and olive oil to travelers – mostly soldiers. The olive trade appears to be the only business that has survived in the area to the north and northwest of Mosul.

When the Islamic State had control of the area, the locals sold olives to IS militants. They were the only people who had money to buy food. Even then, militants paid much less than the normal price.

Samer is an olive seller⁶ who operates a stand near the village of Khorsebad. "When IS was here, we were selling these (olives) for 500 to 600 Iraqi dinars (about 50 American cents) a kilo. Now we sell the same for 6,000 dinars (about 5 dollars)."

Historically, olive trees have been a sign of peace, civilization, and honesty. For the farmers, the trees now represent something much more important: a chance to rebuild their lives.

Today most of the buyers of olives are Peshmerga and Iraqi soldiers going to and from Mosul, about 30 minutes away by car. Most civilians⁷ are not permitted to pass through military checkpoints. The area is still considered a war zone.

"All the people in my village depend only on this business," says Issa. He supports his wife and four children by selling olives. "And the Peshmerga soldiers all know we have the best olives."

Gosum owns a shop near Bashiqa. His business was badly damaged. He says it usually takes three years for neglected⁸ olive trees to produce fruit if they regularly get water. Once a well-known fruit farmer, he now sells olives in small plastic bags to feed his 13 children.

In and around Bashiqa, the local population is also trying to recover from the physical and mental damage.

Gosum tells of the fear the villagers felt when the fighting reached his village. "It was very dangerous because we were in the middle of it," he says.

A few kilometers away, Issa climbs the stairs of a building once used by IS gunmen. Below, one farm was completely burnt. The farmer was a Peshmerga fighter who left IS territory as soon as he could.

"If you left the area," Issa says, "IS took everything."

In the building next door, the saying "Long Live the Islamic State" can still be seen on a wall.

Issa tells of the fear villagers felt during IS rule. "They would listen at our door to see if we were talking on mobile⁹ phones. If you saw an IS militant², you would be terrified."

Words in This Story

checkpoint – n. a place where people, cars, etc., are searched by someone (such as a police officer) before being allowed to continue

neglected – adj. not given enough attention or care

shop – n. a small business or store

mobile – adj. of or related to being moved or transported

1 olive   

n.橄榄，橄榄树，橄榄色；adj.黄绿色的，黄褐色的，橄榄色的

参考例句：

• Have you eaten a kind of fruit called olive?你吃过橄榄这种水果吗？
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace.她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

4 olives   

n.橄榄( olive的名词复数 )；橄榄树；橄榄色；油橄榄

参考例句：

• We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿，喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
• He sent her two pieces of olives in letter. 他在信中给她夹了两片橄榄树的叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

6 seller   

n.售货者，畅销品

参考例句：

• I hope for this book to become a best seller.我希望这本书会成为一本畅销书。
• She drove a hard bargain with the seller.她狠杀卖主的价。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

8 neglected   

a.被忽视的

参考例句：

• neglected children suffering from social deprivation 遭社会遗弃无人照管的孩子
• a neglected area of research 被人忽略了的研究领域

9 mobile   

adj.可移动的，易变的，机动的；n.运动物体

参考例句：

• The old lady sits on a mobile chair every morning.那位老妇人每天上午坐在一把可携带使用的椅子上。
• She's much more mobile now that she's bought a car.自从她买了汽车后，活动量就大多了。