Sebastian Junger’s ‘Hell on Earth’ chronicles the rise of ISIS in Syria

Logan Nye
Feb 5, 2020 6:59 PM PST
1 minute read
Afghanistan War photo

SUMMARY

War correspondent Sebastian Junger, most famous for his documentaries “Restrepo” and “Korengal” that followed paratroopers in the Korengal Valley, has teamed up with Nick Quested to create a new documentary with National Geographic detailing t…

War correspondent Sebastian Junger, most famous for his documentaries "Restrepo" and "Korengal" that followed paratroopers in the Korengal Valley, has teamed up with Nick Quested to create a new documentary with National Geographic detailing the hell that is life in ISIS-controlled territory.


"Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS" is cut together from over 1,000 hours of footage, most of it filmed inside the so-called caliphate.

ISIS members conduct a checkpoint in their territory. The footage comes from an upcoming National Geographic documentary. (Image: YouTube/Deadline Hollywood)

This 13-minute teaser tells the story of families trying to escape, at first with smugglers and then on their own when their smuggler is caught by ISIS.

(Be warned that some of the images in the documentary are disturbing)

Previous reporting has shown how ISIS maintains control in its territory, how it makes its money, and how it recruits and deploys fighters.

None of it is good.

Torture and public executions are used to keep populations cowed, and money is raised through debilitating taxes, sex slavery, robbery, and other pursuits. And its fighters are recruited through international networks and then deployed at half pay or less, often as undertrained frontline fighters that amount to little more than human shields.

The full documentary is scheduled to air June 11.

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