(28 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Idlib, Syria – 25 December 2024
1. Banner on Al-Mehreib square reading (Arabic) “Revolution for all Syrians”
2.Traffic around the square
3.Police officer directing traffic
4.Traffic
5. Laundry outside tents
6. Solar panel on tent
7. Boys playing football
8. Zakia Daemes cleaning outside her tent
9. Tracking shot of Zakia Daemes filling stove with pistachio shells
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Zakia Daemes, internally displaced person from Maarshorin, Idlib countryside:
“When our village was liberated, we were very happy about the victory. It is more than I can express, thanks to God. When we left our houses, we locked them and we brought the keys with us, we didn’t carry anything with us. We went back yesterday and found everything destroyed, houses flattened, rubble everywhere. We went to see the olive trees, they were uprooted. Even the tannur (Arabic oven) was broken. Nothing was left but rubble.”
11. Destroyed building
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Zakia Daemes, internally displaced person from Maarshorin, Idlib countryside:
“Living in tents is not easy, but what can we do? Even if we go back to our village, we have to take the tent with us. We cannot afford to rebuild. What are we going to do? Thank God our land is back at least. If we die we will be buried in the village. So far everyone had been buried in different places.”
13. Various of Abdulqaher Zekour selling cigarettes
14. Zekour on bike showing destruction of Saraqeb, city in Idlib province
15. Car of returnee loaded with bags
16. Zekour showing his destroyed house
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdulqaher Zekour, resident of Saraqeb:
“Thank God, we were able to go back to our city, it was liberated thanks to God. But we were shocked because our city is completely devastated. People are currently unable to return because the city of Saraqeb is not at all ready for residents. None of the necessities for life are there: sewage, water, electricity, a bakery, schools do not exist so people cannot return for these reasons.”
18. People fixing their shop shutters
19. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdulqaher Zekour, resident of Saraqeb:
“The people of Saraqeb city are in dire need of humanitarian aid. Some families have returned but they are lacking all life necessities. The situation is very hard. We cannot live in the city without the necessities of life.”
20. Various of man rebuilding his house
21. Square in Saraqeb
STORYLINE:
Idlib, the northern Syrian city that hosted opposition rebels and displaced people from all over Syria for 13 years, is becoming less crowded with many of the displaced people returning to their hometowns.
This has made it easier for police to direct and control traffic.
Residents were repairing shops and sealing damaged windows, trying to restore a sense of normalcy.
The city of Idlib and much of the surrounding province has been under the control of the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the de facto ruler of Syria.
Al-Sharaa once pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda but cut his connections with the group over the past years.
Until earlier this month, Idlib had been the main rebel stronghold, which made it the target of relentless attacks by government forces.
Of Syria’s 23 million people, 7 million are internally displaced and about 6 million are refugees in neighboring countries and abroad.
The vast majority of the 4.5 million people living in Idlib province and western parts of Aleppo province were internally displaced people (IDPs).
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/10d4fea231394239b49eafbe5df8552e
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in January 2, 2025, 6:00 am.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
