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Over the past few years, black smoke has been seen in satellite images billowing from various locations in Iraq. As Iraqi forces drive ISIS away, the terrorist group has been setting oil wells on fire as it retreats.

In the Hamrin Mountains, in northern Iraq, fires are visible in Landsat and Sentinel images acquired in fall 2017 and early 2018, compared to the area seen in the 2014 image.

Along with the visible fires, an oil spill can be seen in the most recent images. The spill flows from hills into a valley over agricultural land for about 11 kilometers.

The January 2018 image shows a darkened landscape. Though there is much less smoke obscuring this scene, an obvious degraded landscape is left behind. Earth observing satellites continue to detect and monitor the effect of oil fires throughout the country.

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