In Iraq's vast western desert, some 200 families live in a hamlet largely cut off from the rest of the world, their only neighbour one of the country's biggest military bases. Lost in rocky ochre hills and surrounded by humble palm groves, Al-Sahl is around 250 kilometres (155 miles) northwest of the capital Baghdad. Yet the closest hospital is more than half an hour's drive away along a bumpy road, the only education facility is a primary school, and residents rely on livestock and farming to survive. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES