The release of a former regime soldier accused of abuses against civilians sparked protests in northwestern Syria this week and pointed to “organized corruption” within opposition military and security institutions.
As Turkish-backed Syrian National Army factions merge and pick sides, a map of the SNA’s near future and its components’ relations with Ankara takes shape.
Following months of investigation into accusations of abuses and violations by Abu Amsha—a Turkish-backed opposition commander—an investigative committee recommended he be dismissed. Local faction leaders agreed. Then, nothing happened.
In Idlib’s most dangerous corner, a young nature photographer documents the forgotten aspects of everyday life, clinging to the beauty of Syria’s green province.
Students in opposition-held areas struggle to earn recognized degrees, but the expanding university landscape in northwest Syria could bring new opportunities.
Between the beginning of 2020 and April 2021, 173 civilians were killed by bombings or gunfire by unidentified armed men in the two areas controlled by the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) in northern and western Aleppo province.
The appalling targeting of a hospital in Afrin immediately triggered accusations against the SDF. However, the location from which the rockets were launched is controlled by both Assad regime and SDF forces.
Although the conscription policy imposed by the SDF in areas of its control was the direct incentive of protests in Syria’s northern city of Manbij last week, public discontent can be traced back to more deeply rooted drivers that threaten the northeast in general.
Every year, northwest Syria braces for a humanitarian catastrophe as Russia threatens to cut the cross-border aid supply. What does the experience of northeast Syria reveal about the limits of cross-line aid as an alternative?
Nature is another victim of the conflict in Syria, once referred to by some as the environmental “crown jewel” of the Middle East. Inside the country and abroad, nature lovers still strive to monitor and preserve this natural heritage.
