David Eubank (far right, above) is founder and director of the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a Christian humanitarian association that distributes relief in Burma (Myanmar), Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan, and Sudan. He and wife Karen, along with their children, recently completed a mission in Mosul, Iraq. The following are photos and anecdotes written by Eubank from the liberated territories in Mosul, a city still mostly occupied by the Islamic State terrorist group.

MOSUL, Iraq – We have been providing relief in the war zones of Burma for over 20 years, and two years ago were asked to come help in Kurdistan and Syria. We brought ethnic people from Burma to help. In the midst of the continuing oppression and uncertainty in their country, Rangers from Burma felt the call to go help people under attack in Kurdistan, Syria, Iraq, Sudan and other places in the world.

We see the power of God in this and, as in Burma, we go compelled by His love to give help, hope and love in Jesus’ name. In 2015 and 2016, we went to Kurdistan and Syria numerous times, providing medical training on the front lines, doing children’s programs in the IDP camps and getting the news out. We stand against oppressors, be they in Burma, Kurdistan, Syria, Iraq or Sudan, and we are also praying for the oppressors—and asking God for love for them. No one is beyond redemption: Fighting evil and grounding our actions in love are practical ways towards defeating evil and uniting for a new way forward.

While we were working with the Kurds, and before we were invited to help bring food for people in Mosul, we were told, “You Free Burma Rangers may be able to work in Kurdistan and pray with people there, but in Mosul its completely different. There is no place for Jesus stuff in Mosul because God is not there. It is a violent, extremest place, it is not your place.”

We believe He led us to Mosul and our prayer is to be His ambassadors. In spite of our own weaknesses and sins we saw Jesus there and saw the hunger of people for Him. I also learned new things there; personally how thin my patience and love are, and how brave and caring the Iraqi Army is.

Now on the campaign against ISIS, the Iraqi Army has a foothold in Eastern and Southeastern Mosul. It is a city of over one million that stretches from the plains of Ninevah to the east across the Tigris River to the low hills in the west. The eastern side of the city is relatively modern, but densely packed with two to three story concrete buildings. Across the Tigris to the west is the old city of even more densely packed buildings of concrete and mud within a twisting labyrinth of streets and alleys. This is the first major city that ISIS took during their conquest of parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. The people are predominately Sunni and many support ISIS in the face of the injustice they felt from the Shia in Iraq. Into the corner of southeast Mosul, our team including our ethnic medics and cameramen from Burma, as well as two Yazidis and a Kurd. The group was taking in baby formula, food and medicine and distributing it in areas recently liberated from ISIS. Even though ISIS has been pushed out of these neighborhoods, they still hold most of Mosul and are only one building or one block away from the Iraqi forces. As we began to hand out the food, ISIS attacked us with rifles, machine guns and mortars. The Iraqi Army held them off and, as bullets flew over our heads and smacked into walls, we continued to pray with people and give out food. Families would dash from their houses, get the food and medical care they needed, and then run back inside. Many have decided to stay in this war zone because they are afraid of what will happen to them if they flee to a refugee camp. They are also afraid they will lose their homes and possessions if they leave. During ISIS attacks, Iraqi soldiers shielded the civilians and exposed themselves to direct fire as they attempted to stop the ISIS attack. ISIS launches their attacks from a network of tunnels, rat holes, suicide vehicles and IED’s. They continue to attack day and night with heavily armored trucks full of explosives, which they detonate into Iraqi positions and into civilians. ISIS soldiers attack on foot through doors, windows and alleyways, pouring down fire on the Iraqi soldiers, those distributing food and the civilians receiving it. In seven of the ten distributions we have done so far, we came under direct attack from ISIS who killed and wounded civilians. Yet people kept coming for food because they needed to eat and there was no other way of getting it. It is my estimation that about 10% of the population of Mosul give direct support to ISIS, 20% to 30% are sympathetic towards ISIS, and the remaining 50% to 60% don’t like ISIS but do not trust the government in Baghdad. All we met were grateful for our food and help but we know that some of them still support ISIS and that many of them still don’t trust us.