In the city of Najaf in southern Iraq, two widows pay their respects to their husbands, who died fighting IS. “They paid the ultimate price: their life…hopefully they are in paradise now”, says one family member. The government is obliged to pay pensions to the families of all deceased soldiers, but many relatives are still barely getting by. Wounded soldiers are also struggling, as hospitals remain underfunded. “During the war, there was a lack of funds”, claims hospital director Mohammed Abdul Zahra, although a new military hospital has been under construction for years. Everyone in Iraq was affected by the war; now, the lack of state support makes it difficult to move on.