Central Raqqa.

Between October 2016 and October 2017- from the beginning of the campaign for Mosul until the end of that for Raqqa- the US -led coalition dropped 46,683 air released munitions in Iraq and Syria, the majority of which fell on the twin capitals of the ISIS caliphate. The cities were leveled in the fight to liberate them from their captors. A year after the bombing stopped and the fighters were routed, Raqqa and the Old City of Mosul still lay in ruins. Their destruction begs the question- what did the West win in its war against extremism if they stay forever uninhabitable? The life of these places remains frozen in time, at a moment just after the last bombs fell, the fires went out, and the US led coalition declared victory and moved on. But the Iraqis and Syrians of Mosul and Raqqa cannot move on. They are left to wonder at the scale of the destruction and the reality that they have been forgotten. You can read more about this project where it was published on time.com .

Wafa Thanoon, 51, Old City, Mosul. She was injured by blasts three different times during the fight for the Old City- "One time I was in here in front of the window, the mortar came and hit, I was injured in the head. Another time I was sleeping with my daughter, the mortar came and I was injured in my legs and hands. The third time, I wanted to bring water because we were fasting”- the bomb hit outside their home, injuring her and her son. She carries three pieces of shrapnel with her still. The house she rented before was totally destroyed in the battle while she and her kids sheltered in the basement. “I am a muslim, I am a teacher. I don’t believe in their ideology, that’s why I didn’t follow them.”

Jamhuriya Bridge, Old City, Mosul.

Hael Ferdous, Raqqa.

Flooded streets, Old City, Mosul.

Mahmoud Said Dawood, 55, Old City, Mosul. His house was struck multiple times in the shelling and he was injured in the neck, where he still carries shrapnel. His son lost a hand in the blast as well. He has rebuilt about 40% of his home with a loan from family members. “It would be better if people came back and rebuilt their homes. But I think it will stay like this. ISIS took everything.”

Apartment Block, Raqqa.

Old City, Mosul.

Al-Nouri Mosque, where al-Baghdadi declared the caliphate of ISIS, Old City, Mosul.

Ibrahim Ammr, laborer, Old City, Mosul. Ran out of food during the siege escaped from ISIS hiding house to house.

“I was 14 when Daesh came, and I left school. I can’t go back to school- I have to make money for my family.”

Militia Patrol, Old City, Mosul.

Interior, Old City, Mosul.

Old City, Mosul.

Abdullah Hamud, 42, Raqqa. Mr. Hamud lost a five year old son in an airstrike near his home in the town of Kasra, where they lived before there home was destroyed. He came to Raqqa six months ago to look for work, and lives in an abandoned apartment with his family where he works as a laborer clearing debris.

Laborers, Old City, Mosul.

Market, Old City, Mosul.

Exhumation, Raqqa.

Hawla Mahdi Salah, 67, with her granddaughters Safae Khalid Adnan, 2, left, and Hawla Khalid Adnan, 9, right, Old City, Mosul. On June 26, 2017, and airstrike destroyed their home while they were inside. “We realized the house was on our heads.” Ms. Salah lost 9 family members in the blast including 2 sons, 3 grandchildren, and a daughter in law, leaving her to care for Safae and Hawla who were orphaned, along with six other grand kids. “Only Allah knows” if the Old City will be rebuilt she says.

Euphrates River, Raqqa.

Weeds, Raqqa.

Marble Cornice, Old City, Mosul.

Hussein Ali Mohammed, 63, Old City, Mosul. Hussein had six grown children- four of them, aged 24, 25, 26, and 27, all boys, were killed in the battle. They left to get water for the family and died when they hit an IED. “We couldn’t recover their bodies- two months later civil defense came and got them.” He and his family stayed in the Old City until they were liberated by the Iraqi Army- “An airstrike hit the house right in front of ours. We went house to house with the soldiers until we got out.”

Rebar, Raqqa.

Paradise Square, Raqqa.

Reflection, Raqqa.

Falling beams, Raqqa.

Demolition, Raqqa.

Morning fog, Raqqa.

Woman, Old City, Mosul.

Ferries, Raqqa.

Night, Old City, Mosul.

Saja Ahmed, 9, Old City, Mosul. Saja lived in the Maidan riverfront district of the Old City. She lost her nephew in the battle, and her brother was injured as well. “All night we couldn’t sleep because of the sounds of mortars and artillery- every night I covered my ears because of the noise. I was really afraid of a smart bomb. And also right now, when I hear a motorcycle I get scared, I’m scared it’s a bomb.”

Clothesline, Raqqa.