By Abdul Karim Jaafar (Raqqa, Syria) - Ali spends most of his time in front of the TV. His mother asks him to go out, but he refuses. “None of the neighbourhood boys notice me,” the 15 year-old yells. Ali, who was born blind, cannot see the TV, but he takes comfort in its sound. The blind child considers it […]

Karam Mansour Editors’ Note: The editorial team changed the names of interviewees for their safety. (Jaramana, Syria) - Fear and anxiety have reigned over the Damascus suburb of Jaramana since it became the frequent target of car bombs. According to Jaramana’s Red Crescent, 18 car bombs have exploded in the city during the past two and a half years, leaving […]

The residents of Salqeen in Idlib province have recently suffered from high prices on basic commodities like meat and fuel. The high prices are the result of smuggling. Smugglers ship cattle, tobacco and diesel to Turkey since they can get better prices there than in Syria. Prices for these items have skyrocketed, putting them out of reach of much of […]

Editors’ Note: All names are pseudonyms. (Damascus, Syria) - Khaled and Mona married in Syria in April 2012. It was an unusual marriage: he is a Sunni Muslim and she is from the Ismaili sect. Still, their families accepted the intersectarian marriage. “The issue never came up in my family, and when my husband came to them to propose, they […]

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 […]

(Eastern Ghouta, Syria) - The line of buses and cars waiting to enter East Ghouta at the Syrian Army’s Mleha checkpoint on the road to Damascus, one of just two that remain open, stretches back nearly a kilometre. It’s 3pm, and those at the back of the line can expect to wait three to five hours before they can proceed […]

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 […]

Cannabis cultivation has spread in opposition-controlled villages surrounding the northern Syrian town of Salqeen. Hash produced in these villages is often smuggled into neighbouring Turkey. Members of the recently formed security force in Salqeen say they are determined to put an end to the cultivation of cannabis.

By Lava Selo (Raqqa, Syria) - Some days life seems normal in the city of Raqqa. The markets stay open until the late hours of the evening, people visit cafes and public parks, and playground toys are erected for children in public spaces where families sit on the grass. However, shelling or clashes could begin at any minute. The city […]