(19 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Salameh crossing, Syria – 13 December 2024
1. Various of Ahmed al-Kassem at the crossing between Turkey and Syria with his son
2. Various of truck carrying al-Kassem’s belongings
3. Various of Kassem at border’s office presenting his family’s papers
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aleppo, Syria – 13 December 2024
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed al-Kassem, displaced Syrian returning home:
“My brother I have been in Turkey for 13 years. I left for 13 years and now I returned to my country, thank God. We hope to God that the situation gets better and everything returns to how it was before. As you see, life was difficult there (Turkey) and now it will be a bit difficult at the start. But I have to adapt to the situation. Why? Because it still is my homeland, my home, and our people are here.”
4. Various of al-Kassem’s family greeting their relatives where his family house is located
5. Ahmed carrying belongings into his family’s house
6. Ahmed going in the house and closing the door
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aleppo, Syria – 16 December 2024
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed al-Kassem, displaced Syrian returning home:
“Behind us there is a mosque called Omar bin al Khattab. It was targeted daily. That is why I left my house. A day after, I came back to check on my belongings, I found that house hit because they were targeting the Omar bin al Khattab mosque. I left to Turkey then.”
8. Various of al-Kassem checking on his destroyed house in Hanano district
9. Kassem exiting his house
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed al-Kassem, displaced Syrian returning home:
“I came back and was surprised to find my house is gone, my belongings and tools are all gone. I went to my parent’s house and it is worse than here.”
11. Various of al-Kassem outside his house
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed al-Kassem, Displaced Syrian returning home:
“For these areas, from Sakour, Masaken (Hanano), Alhamra, Haydariya, they are disaster areas, completely destroyed. Go to the areas in the city (Aleppo) to the city’s centre, you would find electricity, running water, and all life’s essentials more than here.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aleppo, Syria – 14 December 2024
13. Various of destruction in Masaken Hanano where al-Kassem house is located
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Aleppo, Syria – 16 December 2024
14. Al-Kassem walking outside his house
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed al-Kassem, displaced Syrian returning home:
“When I saw my country liberated, I got up and returned with my children, to introduce them to our homeland and show them their country. But when my children came here and saw the situation, they were really surprised. They didn’t expect this. They lived there (Turkey) with electricity, running water, internet, all life’s essentials were available. But here, as you can see, we have been here for days with no water. I have no idea where I will go with my children.”
16. Taxi driving with al-Kassem and his children
17. Various of al-Kassem leaving taxi and standing in street with his children
18. Various of al-Kassem and his family sitting to a table in a coffee shop
STORYLINE:
The moment he arrived home to Syria from Turkey, Ahmed al-Kassem held his sister in a tight embrace, tears streaming down their faces. They hadn’t seen each other in more than a decade and now were reunited only days after the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
“If I had known, I don’t know if I would have come,” the 38-year-old al-Kassem said. “Our life in Turkey was not perfect, but what we are seeing here is a disaster.”
But the initial reality was hard.
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