Mountain rescue volunteers in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq held a week of training ahead of winter, practising rope rescues, avalanche searches and treating hypothermia.
The teams respond to hikers, shepherds and drivers caught by snow on high mountain roads, where conditions can change within hours.
"Winter calls come fast and far away," said Shvan, a team leader. "We train so that the first person who reaches someone knows exactly what to do."
The course also covered maintaining equipment in freezing conditions and keeping radio contact in deep valleys.
Volunteers are appealing for donations of winter boots and headlamps before the first snow.
This is placeholder content for a launch demo. It is not a real news report.