- Religious & Ethnic Groups
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Some Kurdish Forces Still Recruiting and Using Child Soldiers: Witnesses
“The recruitment is still ongoing under the excuse of defending the area and claims these children volunteered by themselves. ”.
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- Health
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Doctors in Hellish Aleppo Ask the World for More Help
“In the free part of Aleppo, there are no hospitals in the typical meaning of the word. They’re merely simple medical centers working 24 hours a day,” a doctor tells Syria Deeply.
- Human Rights
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World Powers Guilty of ‘Cold-Hearted Indifference’ to War Crimes in Aleppo: Amnesty
“These attacks happen in an instant but they are ripping families apart and they affect them for a lifetime.”.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- ISIS
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ISIS Recruits Brides to Solve Middle East ‘Marriage Crisis’
Mia Bloom spoke with Syria Deeply about ISIS’ recruitment of women and the reality of their lives in Syria and Iraq.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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A Window into the Heart of a Jihadi Bride
Syria Deeply recently spoke with a woman who agreed to be the wife of an ISIS fighter in Raqqa.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- Articles
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A Woman’s Harrowing Account of Torture and Abuse Inside Assad’s Prisons
“We were exposed to hunger, electrocution, beating and insults. We got sick, we got lice and scabies, and were often strip searched, which was the worst part.”
- Health
- Human Rights
- Articles
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Mental Health Issues the Most Underreported Problem in Syria – Doctor
The World Health Organization estimates that 2 million or more Syrians are suffering from mild to moderate mental problems.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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With Regime Troops Waning and Jihadis Rising, Only Regional Powers Can Solve Syria’s War
“The bottom line is that neither side is really capable of a full military victory in this war unless the other sides’ backers capitulate and cut support to their Syrian allies, which is highly unlikely.”.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
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Assyrian Christian Refugees Look for ‘Quickest Way’ Out of Syria
Syria Deeply spoke with displaced Assyrian families who fled to Beirut after Jabhat al Nusra and ISIS arrived in their hometown of al-Hasakah. Many of them have relatives presently held hostage by ISIS.
- Displacement
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Syrians Fleeing Violence Risk Death on Smugglers’ Boats
Over the past year, an increasing number of Syrians have attempted to flee to Europe, crossing the Mediterranean illegally in overcrowded boats at the mercy of smugglers.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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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.
- Displacement
- Human Rights
- Articles
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Escaping from Syria, Risking the “Caravan of Death”
“The trip took four days: they were the hardest days of my life; fear was our constant companion.”.
- Displacement
- Articles
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Syrians in Europe – a New Home or a Temporary Station?
Syria Deeply met with some young Syrians who have recently made it to Europe to seek asylum.
- Displacement
- Articles
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Conversations: A Syrian Refugee’s Life in Jordan
“We face many common hardships. We have almost the same stories. We’re not entitled to work legally. It’s difficult for refugees to get work permits in Jordan. We all struggle to continue our studies. We feel like outsiders, confined by all these rules.”.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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The Balance of Power in Syria: a Q&A with a Prominent Analyst of the Conflict
“There is a manpower issue if you define Assad’s aim as a complete victory, which I don’t think is achievable for the regime, and I don’t think a comprehensive victory is Assad’s objective.”.
- Human Rights
- War Economy
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The ‘Slow Death’ Report: Why the U.N. Has Grossly Underestimated the Number of Syrians Living Under Siege
“You sense the level of desperation when you read about death caused by cases where people are desperate enough to scavenge and eat wild plants off the ground.”.
- Displacement
- Religious & Ethnic Groups
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The Complicated Battle for Yarmouk Palestinian Refugee Camp: a Q&A with a Revolution Spring Gathering Activist
“Nusra also provided headquarters for the ISIS fighters to enable them to penetrate the camp more easily, and they prevented the reinforcements sent by the free army from reaching the camp to support al-Aknaf brigades in standing against ISIS and clashed with them.”.
- Displacement
- War Economy
- Articles
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Syrian Refugees Turn to Cooking to Make a Living
Rima spoke with Syria Deeply about her experience of launching a catering company in the Egyptian capital.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
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The Rise of Jabhat al-Nusra: A Conversation with Lina Khatib
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.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Articles
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Former Chief Prosecutor Decries Lack of Will to Prosecute War Crimes
“We have a solid case against all of the parties involved in this tragedy: The Syrian regime, the FSA [Free Syrian Army], ISIS, the jihadist groups.”.
- Civil Society
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Syrians Launch Campaign to Urge Peace Talks, End Barrel Bombs
Coordinators of the campaign have emphasized “the link between the ongoing barrel bombing in Syria and the rise of ISIS,” adding that senseless violence is fueling radicalization.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- Health
- Human Rights
- Articles
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Conversations: A Doctor in Sermin Describes the Fallout of a Chemical Attack
“All cases were treated and documented, and we’ve sent evidence to many organizations and committees that can prove the use of toxic gases against civilians in Sarmin and Qminas.”.
- Health
- Human Rights
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For Syrian Women, Chemical Exposure Linked to Adverse Birth Effects
Among the 110 exposed women, seven delivered newborns with serious malformations, of whom five died after a few hours to a few days and the other two survived.
- Health
- Human Rights
- Articles
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Médecins Sans Frontières Dispatch: ‘The Stories Are Many, and They Are All Heartbreaking’
“Today we only have one general surgeon and one orthopedic surgeon in all of al-Houleh, for more than 90,000 people,” a doctor in northern Homs tell us.
- Health
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Médecins Sans Frontières Dispatch: An Endless Night Getting Darker and Darker
“Being under siege is like an endless night – a night that we’ve learned can get darker and darker. We have run out of basic food and medicine supplies so many times, we try very hard to keep a little extra.”.
- Health
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Médecins Sans Frontières Dispatch: Surgery Under Siege
“Every moment of every day I feel I have had enough, but we have no other choice. People here need us. They are in desperate need of all kinds of medical care, from the most simple to the most complicated.”.
- Civil Society
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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Snapshots from Syrian Cities on the Fourth Anniversary of the Uprising
To mark the fourth anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution, Syria Deeply asked people across the country how their cities have changed.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
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U.N. Security Council Members Need to Stop Selling Weapons Fueling Syrian Conflict: Oxfam
Humanitarian needs have increased by nearly a third compared with 2013. More than 11.6 million people are now in urgent need of clean water and nearly 10 million people do not have enough to eat.
- Health
- Human Rights
- Articles
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Doctors Describe Public Health Nightmare Amid Constant Threat of Attack
When asked what would help them the most, almost without exception every nurse or physician said: “Stop the bombing.”.
- Civil Society
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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My Syrian Diary: Changing My Worldview, in Darker Days
Marah, a teenage girl from one of Syria’s besieged cities, shares her stories of life in the war. She recently moved to Damascus to continue her education, deciding to focus her college studies on prosthetics. She hopes to help heal the injured in her country’s conflict.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Articles
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In Northern Syria, is the US Running Out of Rebel Allies?
Harakat Hazzm, a US-armed group vetted by the CIA for training, has fallen to an Al Qaeda affiliate that is targeting moderate rebels.
- Civil Society
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
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Conversations: A College Student on the Deadly Game of Getting to Class
“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.”.
- Human Rights
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Aleppo Residents Burn Furniture to Protect Children from Freezing in Winter
The first time I had to burn my bedroom was to cook food. After that I started with the living room. We also use what my children pick up: pieces of wood, shoes and old clothes from the destroyed houses.
- Diplomacy & Foreign Affairs
- Articles
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Understanding Turkey’s Unprecedented Cross-Border Operation into Syria
“Turkey is now realizing that it should update its security policy with the West in regards to the ISIS threat.”.
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
- Articles
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Why a Bus Ride Across Fractured Aleppo Takes 12 Hours
“For my passengers, they fear ISIS the most because their members have repeatedly assaulted civilians.”.
- Displacement
- Education
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
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The Syrian Woman Running a School in Atmeh Refugee Camp
“We expect that by the end of the month, we’ll see 80 percent improvement of the students’ reading, writing and arithmetic skills.”.
- Civil Society
- Human Rights
- Articles
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Voices from Latakia: Displaced Syrians Swing Between Acceptance and Rejection
“Displacement in itself is a problem, and from that problem there result many others for the displaced people and for the community that receives them,” says Nisreen.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
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Louay Hussein, Prominent Opposition Leader, Faces Trial in Syria
When Hussein was arrested, we saw in that an attempt to close the doors to a political solution to the Syrian crisis.
- Opposition Groups & Rebel Forces
- Articles
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Syrians Stage Ongoing Protests Against al-Qaida in Southern Damascus
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?”.
- Arts & Culture
- Government & Pro-Government Forces
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With Street Music and Pop-Up Concerts, A Pianist Plays in Yarmouk
The songs we sang in the street were about immigration, the siege, and lack of water, so they actually mimic the reality these children are living.