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Voices from Inside the ‘Giant Prison’ of Raqqa
Syria Deeply spoke by satellite phone and email with people living in Raqqa.
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Exploring the various groups in Syria opposed to the Syrian government, including rebel factions, extremist groups and political parties.
Follow via RSSSyria Deeply spoke by satellite phone and email with people living in Raqqa.
Through alliances with certain groups, acquisitions and defeat of others, Nusra aims to strengthen its footprint and widen its influence in the north, and present itself as the primary force fighting the Assad regime on the ground, a leading analyst tells Syria Deeply.
“Two years ago, a shell fell on the roof of our house. I was alone at home and I had an exam to study for. I continued studying in spite of my obsession that another one might come at any moment.”.
“We expect that by the end of the month, we’ll see 80 percent improvement of the students’ reading, writing and arithmetic skills.”.
When Hussein was arrested, we saw in that an attempt to close the doors to a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
Our most common slogans are: “Leave the people. Take your emirate and leave” and “Nusra Front, you claim to have come to stand by the people of Sham. But you kill, steal and assault [us]. Why?”.
“Jabhat al-Nusra establishes inroads with local populations and local leaders, but ISIS establishes top-down control and seeks to rule through fear”.
By September, Abu Mahmoud said the family faced an ultimatum. They could either accept a new life in Raqqa under the banner of ISIS, he said, or they could flee.
Despite lacking the most basic amenities, the residents of a village in Daraa persist in their quest for education.
These days, the Syrian people are not only suffering from a tyrannical regime, but also from opposition factions that share the regime’s tyranny.
‘When people feel confused about the world and the society they live in, when they feel they need a more secure environment that can help them navigate troubled social conditions, you often see an upsurge of religious fundamentalism’.
‘The Assad regime will always have an authoritarian tendency and willingness to put it to force, and arrest any politicians that disagree with its point of view’.
‘It may start to look more attractive for some to deal with the Assad regime, because the U.S. and its allies are not going to deal with Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State directly’.
Zaytoun and Zaytouna uses such content as games, stories and illustrations to bring light relief and fun to children in a war zone.
The UN is suggesting Aleppo as a starting point to provide much-needed relief to areas hardest hit by the Syrian civil war. But it’s a hard sell with warring parties.
‘Violence undermines children’s abilities to learn and develop as adults in a healthy manner, to become healthy members of their communities’.
‘Physics and chemistry contained many unholy laws, and we had to be careful not to corrupt the minds of children under ISIS rule’.
Theodore Bell, analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, spoke to Syria Deeply about the how the emergence of a stronger, unified opposition in the south might threaten the regime in Damascus.
‘We hope that a speedy international intervention can save Kobani, because everyone knows that if it falls, there will be huge massacres’.
“My son was only away for four days before he was killed. He was supposed to be in a training camp for at least six months.”.
‘If these are the champions of the Sunni-Arab cause in Syria, an al-Qaida offshoot, then there is reason to be worried’.
‘I realize that we can’t get married. You’re Sunni and I’m Alawite. You’re with the opposition and I’m with the regime, but I promise you that I will never give you up, no matter what.’.
Thousands of Palestinian refugees are trapped inside Yarmouk refugee camp, facing starvation, malnutrition, disease and now face a threat of lack of water supply.
Raed Fares, a Syrian activist from the northern city of Kafranbel in the Idlib countryside, speaks to Syria Deeply about the state of revolutionary fervor in his town.
Faysal Itani, a fellow at the Atlantic Council, gives his analysis of the U.S. strikes on ISIS and how they have shifted dynamics on the ground.
Lebanon fears that Islamic State and other militant forces – pressed by Hezbollah and Syria into the mountains along Lebanon’s border – are trying to break into populated areas.
‘A lot of ISIS fighters buy into this utopian vision of creating a caliphate where there will be none of the social ills we have in the West. This is essentially Marxism under the veil of Islam.’.
Wolfgang F. Danspeckgruber on why Christians are being targeted in Syria and how the attacks impact the country as a whole.
Noah Bonsey, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, gave us an in-depth explanation of why ISIS has had so much success in Syria and the challenges ahead for degrading its influence.
‘I will never forget the night of September 27, 2014, when my mom came in, screaming, telling us to bring whatever we can carry.’.
A steady stream of Syrian men are joining the National Defense Force, a loyalist reserve force used by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad since 2012.
Many local journalists fled Deir Ezzor when ISIS arrived – and the ones who stayed behind are forced to abide by the extremist group’s draconian rules.
A Syrian refugee attempts to preserve his family’s profession through the hardships of his current displacement.
“ISIS claim they are carrying out Islamic doctrine, and then they kill innocent people,” says one resident, who fled his hometown as the militant group advanced. “For me, they are criminals with no respect for human beings and their legitimate rights. They don’t represent Islam.”.
Many in Raqqa are moving away from known ISIS targets in the city center. How serious a threat do U.S. airstrikes pose to local residents?
Assessing the fight on the southern front, where rebels are now reported to be in control of more than three-quarters of Quneitra province – with their sights set on Damascus.
“To get to your house you need a lot of luck, as well as written permission allowing you to pass checkpoints surrounding our neighborhoods.”.
With Jabhat al-Nusra increasingly emboldened in and around the Golan Heights, will there be a different reaction than usual?
We look at the emerging hierarchy and roles played by Western fighters in Syria and Iraq – and increasing tensions with Syrian fighters.
Thousands of Yazidis have now made their way from Sinjar to Hassakeh, either staying there or using the Kurdish-controlled Syrian province as a passage to the Iraqi city of Dohuk.
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