Twelve-year-old Gunsmith Fixes Weapons For Fight Against 'Islamic State'
By Tom Gillespie @TomGillespie1
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Videographer / Director: Jawdat
Producer: Tom Gillespie, Chloe Browne
Editor: Joshua Douglas
Brave primary school pupil Omer volunteers with his father Ibrahim, who has more than 20 years experience as a gunsmith, fixing everything from from heavy machine guns to sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
The pair, based in the north of the country, then hand the weapons back to the Kurdish forces known as the Peshmerga.
The Peshmerga troops are fighting the 'Islamic State', who currently control large swathes of northern Iraq.
Omer and his father refer to the militants as Daesh, which is a loose ancroymn for their title in arabic.
Many people in the region prefer the term because it sounds like the Arabic word 'Daes', meaning 'one who crushes something underfoot.'
The labelling is intended to distinguish the terrorists from anything truly Islamic.
Omer said: “I work with with my father daily, I help him - we repair DShKs (a type of heavy machine gun).
“(The) 'Islamic State' came here and I want to help the Peshmerga. I do not want 'Islamic State' to control Kurdistan.”
Omer’s father Ibrahim was employed as a gunsmith between 1993 and 2013.
The 42-year-old Muslim came out of retirement because he wanted to help Peshmerga in their fight against 'ISIS'.
Ibrahim, who has five sons and three daughters, said: “(The) 'Islamic State' is the enemy of religion and humanity.
“I said: “Let's work to help the Peshmerga and serve our nation.”
The father and son gunsmiths repair all different kinds of firearms, including mortar weapons that fire explosives and guns to be mounted on tanks.
Ibrahim and Omer then test the repaired weapons before returning them to the forces.
The time to complete each repair job varies on assignment, and their workflow depends on the intensity of fighting at the time.
Ibrahim explains: “To tell you the truth any DShk there is, we would take it. BKC, sniper rifles, RPG, all the same.
“When I repair something I will return it. However, to be absolutely satisfied I will fire it.
“When there is no problem with it, I will then give it back.”
Omer and his father are sometimes helped by local police officer Karwan, who also works as a volunteer.
He said: “After doing my shift at the police station I work with Ibrahim.
“Tens, hundreds, and thousands of weapons have been repaired and sent back to the front line to use against the terrorists."