By Mariam Abdullah* (WADI AL-NASSARA – HOMS PROVINCE) – This past July, around 50 frightened Christian villagers in a town in an area of western Syria known as the “Christian Valley” gathered in a hall next to the town’s orthodox church. The village priest stood before them, and peered at the tired and anxious faces in the crowd as they […]

(Damascus, Syria) - Negotiations around the Geneva II conference, which aims to bring the Syrian opposition and the regime into dialogue, have reached a critical stage: the decision on whether the conference will be held and under what conditions will be made soon. Reports indicate that the West is increasing pressure on the external opposition to attend the conference. […]

By Raed Khalil* (Tal Abyad, Syria) - Clashes between rival militias have become the norm in the town of Tal Abyad and neighbouring villages. The battles usually pit the Kurdish faction, called the Force for the Protection of the People, against an alliance of Arab militias, composed of the Al-Qaeda affiliated Islamist militia, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria […]

The Damascus Bureau asked residents of the opposition-controlled town of Salqeen in Idlib province to give their views on American military intervention and how to end the Syrian crisis. The interviewees participated in a demonstration on September 13, which was part of the weekly Friday demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that started in 2011. The demonstration followed the initiation […]

By Salem Nassif Some opposition activists regard Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s initiative to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, which followed the chemical weapon attack in Ghouta, as an opportunity to come to a solution that will at least lessen the suffering and death of Syrians. Others see the initiative as nothing more than yet another attempt to […]

By Raheel Ibrahim* (Jaramana, Syria) - Nour, 38, is preparing to travel from her neighbourhood of Jaramana, on the outskirts of Damascus, to her hometown in Tartous for her daughter’s Duaa’s wedding. The wedding will finally take place at the end of September – it’s already been postponed twice: once in August, due to fighting between government forces and rebels […]

By Raheel Ibrahim* (Damascus, Syria) - Television presenter Rasha Kassar introduced the 30th episode of Suria Tatahawar (Syria Discusses) on the official Syrian satellite channel with the following words: “What is all this fuss about American statements and posturing that rational minds are describing as dangerous and tragic? Didn’t terrorists use Sarin gas in Spain, France and London? Didn’t the […]

Ayman Mohammed Talk has been circulating about the possibility of Western countries, and specifically the United States, staging a military operation against the Syrian government. However, since the beginning of the peaceful protests, most activists have been unified in their refusal of any direct external intervention. They see this as a war on the local, home-grown uprising to topple President […]

Yasmine Maree (Gaziantep, Turkey) - Syrian activist Noura al-Amir, 26, recalls the demonstrations of early 2011 in which she participated. “‘Oh Sniper Sniper…here are our necks and heads’ was not merely a silly chant,” Amir said. “Demonstrators were singing it knowing the snipers lurked in wait for them. It’s the revolution, the spark that started in Tunisia and lit up […]

Note: The editorial team has changed the names of the speakers and withheld the identity of the author for their own safety. Since the start of the revolutionary movement in Syria, President Bashar al-Assad has issued several general amnesty decrees in an attempt to contain the instability and preserve the regime. In the past, regime supporters have accepted and justified these […]