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Welcome to the archives of Syria Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on May 15, 2018, and transitioned some of our coverage to Peacebuilding Deeply, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on the Syrian conflict. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors contributors.
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Dominique Soguel is a contributor for Christian Science Monitor
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Naji Jerf, who was assassinated Sunday in broad daylight, would be the third citizen journalist to have been targeted by Islamic State on Turkish soil. Each murder seems to have been calculated attempt to frighten other activists away from publishing on ISIS abuses.
Harakat Hazzm, a US-armed group vetted by the CIA for training, has fallen to an Al Qaeda affiliate that is targeting moderate rebels.
The Syrian Kurds’ willingness to sacrifice won them allies in the battle for Kobane. But obstacles remain to rebuild the city and translate military into political gains.
Syrian refugees in Turkey are importing coffee, cigarettes, and other simple and inexpensive products from their homeland to sell to fellow refugees. The extra income barely covers costs for many households.
Despite losing hundreds of fighters to US airstrikes and confronting Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Islamic State has resisted eviction from Kobane, and its foes fear the fight will drag on.
More Syrian women are working as first-responders in rebel-held areas. Trained in emergency medical care and search and rescue operations, they are winning over conservative Syrians by playing a nontraditional role in the conflict.
Activists point to increased Syrian airstrikes against the opposition since the US-led campaign began. But rebel groups are also fighting Islamic State, analysts note.
Dubious matchmakers and criminal gangs are preying on the Syrian women and girls who have sought shelter in Turkey. The sexual exploitation ranges from illicit marriages to prostitution.
President Erdogan, courted by Obama and Biden while in New York, says Turkey is ready to play a more active role against the Islamic State. It has had many misgivings.
Assisted by aid agencies, Turkey is racing to handle its worst humanitarian crisis since the start of the Syria conflict, as refugees flee advancing Islamic State forces.
At least 60,000 mostly Kurdish refugees have entered Turkey since Thursday after Islamic State militants surrounded a Kurdish stronghold in northern Syria. Some are calling for US airstrikes to stop the group’s advance.
The jihadis of the Islamic State beheaded another hostage on video this weekend in Syria, as the US and other western states vowed to destroy the group. But the militants are well dug in.
Members of Iraq’s Yazidi minority and other groups have flooded into Iraqi Kurdistan for safety. But their needs are vast, and the region is coming under strain.
Syrian regime forces have allegedly targeted hospitals as a weapon of war, and doctors and nurses have fled the fighting. Telemedicine offers a way to guide treatment of patients in intensive care.
The Saudis appear to have chosen Jamal Maarouf as leader of the Syrian Revolutionaries’ Front by ensuring he remains flush with cash. But money can’t command loyalty forever.
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