Hammam al-Alil, a town south of Mosul once famous throughout Iraq for its healing hot waters, is back in business after a US-backed offensive retook the area from Islamic State militants and authorities reopened its spa. This oasis of leisure now coexists, however, with camps housing more than 30, of the people displaced in the region by the campaign to dislodge Islamic State from Mosul, its the last major city stronghold in Iraq.
Residents have been flocking back since Islamic State was expelled from the town in early November, ending the days when bathers had to wear a tunic covering them from knee to navel as part of the Sunni Muslim movement's strict modesty code.
Across the street is an indoor pool where locals and soldiers taking a day off from the front get a soapy massage. The spa used to be magnet for wellness tourists and rheumatism patients but had passed its heyday even before the Islamist militants arrived in The elegant hotels at the spa are now shuttered or bombed out because Islamic State fighters used to live there.
A machine gun nest at the entrance shatters any sense of normality. On Monday, the spa opened only at noon due to rumours of an Islamic State attack, said a federal police officer. Iraq reopens hot springs spa amid Mosul war chaos Updated: Share - WeChat. Others beg for food or rise at dawn to queue for water. Experts voice concerns over Japan's election. Iran holds ceremony to commemorate Hezbollah's slain leader Safieddine.
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