By MATT CETTI-ROBERTS
It’s springtime, and a group of Bedouin fighters in desert-pattern camouflage uniforms sing in a sprawling, lush field in northern Iraq.
In the middle of the group, three men dance and time their movements to the rhythm. The rest of the fighters surround them, singing and clapping in time.
Their cadences are illustrative of how the Bedouins’ traditions and nomadic way of life have endured for centuries. The melodies — primal and beautiful — hearken back to a previous age when life may have been simpler, but no less brutal.
Four-and-a-half miles away is the town of Basiqa, which is currently occupied by Islamic State. But these men are relaxing, having just finished a day training and preparing for combat against the extremist group.
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