UNICEF reunite separated mother and son after they fled Islamic State

A mother and son have been reunited after being separated while fleeing the Islamic State's grip in Mosul, Iraq.Mohammed Mowaffaq was only a young boy when he was forced to flee his home. His mother, Wathha Hadifah, worried for her son in the besieged city and believed it was time for Mohammed to flee their Tanak neighborhood.Mohammed's father, a driver, was killed three years earlier after being suspected of smuggling people out of Mosul.Mohammed eventually escaped and three months later , his mother was able to flee with the rest of her young family while barefoot and in the cold – but Wathha had no idea if her son made it out alive.This is a common occurrence in war-torn Iraq. Since 2014, more than 4,650 children have become separated or are unaccompanied by their families in Iraq, according to UNICEF.The family was later reunited by UNICEF and do not plan to return to Mosul.