Abdullah Kleido (Kfar Nabel, Syria) – Mazen is a fighter with the Islamic front from the city of Kfar Nabel. Like many others, the 32-year-old complains of not receiving aid that he desperately needs.

By Mariam Abdullah* Nohad al-Tawil bid farewell to 2013 by dancing with her family and friends to a song called “Ya Boshama,” which means “Oh Handsome One” – a song by Bahaa Youssef and lyrics by Ali Aloush. Nohad, 40, recently married a man of Syrian origin who immigrated to Germany a number of years ago.

(Damascus, Syria)- Far from the battlefronts and the sounds of combat, there are some members of opposition parties in Syria who say they believe that political work can still effect change. The activity of this “internal opposition” – whose members openly criticize Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime while living in government-controlled Damascus - has led some in the opposition to […]

The Syrian regime army took advantage of the latest battles between the Free Syrian Army and the troops of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to begin a military operation around the Aleppo airport, in the city’s northern suburbs, near the Al-Nayrab Bridge area and the village of Aziza. The army advanced on all the aforementioned areas, but some […]

The constant power cuts in the towns and cities of Idlib have pushed the citizens toward finding alternative sources of electricity. After losing hope that their electricity, which is generated by stations in areas under the control of the Damascus-based central government , would return, some of the citizens pooled their resources to buy massive generators in order to provide […]

Far from the negotiations that took place in Geneva between the regime and the opposition, the city of Aleppo has been subjected to bombardment with explosive barrels. Here, there are no voices raised in debate and famous politicians, officials or activists, only the sound of explosions and the smell of death and blood wafting out from under the debris and […]

Piroz Perik The Turkish city of Gaziantep is among those accommodating the highest number of Syrian refugees fleeing from the war and the devastating economic conditions at home. Most are from Aleppo and its environs, which lately has witnessed a violent escalation of the conflict and heavy bombardment by explosive barrels. There are no accurate statistics for the number of […]

Syrian refugees in camps along the Syrian-Turkish border live in conditions of squalor. These camps are the only places where they are able to take refuge from the war, particularly for those who do not have the financial means to live in Turkish cities. After Bab al-Salama camp was established nearly a year ago it quickly became crowded, and another […]

In one of the trailers at the Zaatari Camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, 15 children between the ages of 11 and 15 came together for a two and a half month training course, given by artist Israa al-Fadel, on how to transform their hopes and memories into art. The endeavour was supported by the NGO “For Syria,” which provided […]

NOTE: This story is based on the personal testimony of the photojournalist Zaid Mohammad. The positions and opinions do not reflect those of the Damascus Bureau. Zaid Mohammad (Aleppo, Syria) - Today is Friday, January 31, 2014. Three helicopters hover over the city, as well as several fighter jets. I couldn’t find a place to rent, so I spent the […]