No Sun over Qayyara

Nov 27, 2016 | Benedetta Argentieri
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A haze of thick black smoke obscured the view of the sky. The only source of illumination was a wall of flames at least three-stories high. A constant humming drone came from boiling oil which looked like lava ready to spill out from a volcano. Suddenly a small pin prick of light revealed itself through the thick, noxious clouds- a reminder that it was actually the middle of the day.

On October 26, the town of Qayyara, Iraq, seemed to have become the real life interpretation of the Apocalypse. The Islamic State (ISIS) torched at least 15 oil wells before retreating from the area on August 25, perhaps reinforcing the wildest jihadi-dream that the end of the world was near.