“When I had to leave school it felt like the last day of my life,” 12-year-old Ayesha says, sitting in an adult-sized chair from which her feet just about touch the ground.

“I don’t remember much about when Isis came. But I know that that was when they killed my father and it was the last time I got to go to school for a long time.”

The little girl, now living in Hasensham Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp just outside Mosul, is frank in talking about what she and her family went through living under Isis’ cruelty for more than two years. But she’s also clear-headed about what her future holds.

Ayesha (not her real name), looks at the drawings by other children at Hasensham IDP camp (Bethan McKernan)

“School helps me be a strong person. It will help my generation and we can change the future if we have an education,” she said.

Almost nine months into Operation Inherent Resolve launched by US-backed Iraqi coalition forces to liberate the country’s second biggest city from Isis, the fight is not quite over yet. The army and counter terrorism forces are close to backing the militants into a few remaining neighbourhoods in the city centre, and most analysts expect the battle to be over within a month.

Even when Mosul is declared fully under government control again, for those who fled the city and surrounding Nineveh province since Isis swept across a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014, normal life is still on hold.

Around 480,000 people in total are currently displaced by the fighting, the majority living in IDP camps around the region which have added annex after annex to cope with demand.

Children of Mosul describe life under Islamic State

New arrivals fleeing the fighting in West Mosul arrive at the UN and Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) run camps every day, after either walking for hours or being picked up by the army.

Since the battle for the city began in October 2016, more than 620,000 have at one point had to brave Isis sniper fire and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to reach relative safety.

While some families have managed to return home to liberated areas, the US-backed assault has taken its toll on the area.

Just outside Hasensham camp, the neighbouring village of the same name is nothing but broken windows, cratered rooftops and crumbling walls from heavy coalition bombing.

The abandoned village of Hasensham was so heavily mined when Isis retreated it is unlikely families will ever return there (Bethan McKernan)

The village is still so littered with mines planted by retreating Isis fighters it is not safe to leave the main road.

It would take so much time and money to clear it and rebuild Hasensham’s residents will probably have to abandon their homes for good.

Most people displaced in northern Iraq’s camps are grimly preparing to be there for a few years. After having arrived in some cases with just the clothes on their back, many have no savings or income with which to return home and start rebuilding their lives.

Going back to school is one of the only returns to normality for children displaced by Isis. Children playing at Unicef-run child-friendly spaces are clearly delighted by the murals on the walls of the terrapin units and playgrounds; they provide the only colour breaking up the blinding whiteness of the tents and the dusty earth.

Many of the smaller children The Independent met are so traumatised they’ve become mute. When others first arrived, hearing music – banned under Isis – made them cry because they associated it with punishment.

Group therapy, psychologist family visits and a special focus on making sure disabled children can access classroom learning are all part of the rehabilitative process – but the thing that mattered most to all the children The Independent spoke to was being back in school again.

In some cases children have missed three whole grades, but they’re eager to catch up.

In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty

When asked if they’d rather be on permanent vacation like some children in other countries would, a group of teenagers scoffed at the idea.

“Isis made us leave school,” 13-year-old Zahra said. “Going back is our revenge against them. I’m going to be a doctor.”

When the militants seized new towns they either took over or closed all schools under their control, implementing their own curriculum. Mathematics textbooks used sums such as “bomb plus gun equals...” to indoctrinate children from a young age, causing many parents to pull their children out to avoid the extremist influences altogether.

13-year-old Zahra (left) is determined to become a doctor when she grows up (Bethan McKernan)

A headteacher from Singar now living in Dibaga camp described the day Isis stormed his village two years ago. The militants arrived, firing guns overhead, during the school day, prompting his staff to quickly send all the children home. He locked the gates to keep Isis out of the building.

A few days later, he and a few other teachers snuck back in to rescue students’ papers and textbooks.

Now teaching in Dibaga’s school, many others had continued working for free, he said.

“Education will be the next front line against Isis,” he continued. “We must rebuild our school first when we get to go home. It’s how you keep extremism out and you prepare to not let something like this happen again.”

Maulid Warfa, Unicef’s head of mission in Irbil coordinating the Mosul response, echoed the displaced headteacher’s thoughts.

“There is an awful lot of ground to cover to get all displaced children back into school and make sure they do not become a lost generation,” he said.

“We need to restrategise for the future on radicalisation,” he added. “Iraq’s youth are resilient and willing to rebuild their country. We need to give them the tools to be able to do that.”