The word stronghold (1th paragraph) is:

Brit dad is the first person to take

a holiday in the ruins of failed state ISIS

in Northern Iraq

Dad-of-four Andy Drury, 53, had no visas and was in danger of kidnapping from militia d uring his £4,000 three-day break in Mosul, Northern Iraq. But he has _______ back stunning photos of t he former IS stronghold.

Building firm owner Andy, of Guildford, Surrey, has spent the last 20 years touring areas of the planet most people do not dare to go and first visited this a rea in 2016.

He said of one visit to a dangerous area near Mosul : “I was nervous, my heart was in my mouth for 20 minutes.

“We had been turned away by Iraqi forces. If caught , we could have been jailed for spying.”

Andy added: “I must be the first person to be have been a tourist in the ruins of Islamic State.

“My fixer Ammar (not his real name) was right on th e front line for the taking back of Mosul, taking repor ters in there.

“But he said he is more scared with me, with the ne ws reporters he was in an armoured car, but with m e on the front line a couple of years ago, he said I di dn’t wear a vest or helmet or nothing, he said that w as scarier.”

Andy said he doesn’t wear protective clothing beca use he tries to stumble on as little front line fighting as possible.

The businessman is meticulous in the planning of hi s trips and so far has holidayed in no-goareas like Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan, as well as spending time with the Klu Klux Klan.

Andy said:

“Driving in from Iraq and Kurdistan, all the buildings were beautiful, and then it changes, and I’ve never seen nothing like it, it was like an apocalyptic film.

Fonte: https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/10087541/br it-dad-holiday-isis-iraq/ Acesso em: 09/Out/2019