Category: Middle East Eye EN

Damascus is seeking to bolster its army by bringing in deserters and draft dodgers, but several caveats apply. A Syrian army soldier stands next to a Syrian flag in Umm al-Mayazen, in the countryside of Daraa. (Reuters) By Harun al-Aswad via Middle East EyePublished date: 17 October 2018 15:02 UTC  IDLIB CITY, Syria – Omar Shihabi knew he … Continue reading ‘Just ink on paper’: Assad’s offer of amnesty leaves Syrian ‘runaways’ cold →

Inhabitants of Idlib have welcomed the calm provided by the de-militarised zone but militants and pro-government forces are wary. The photo A Syrian rebel fighter watches towards the government-held areas in northwestern countryside of Aleppo province. (AFP) By Harun al-Aswad via Middle East Eye Published date: 12 October 2018 17:33 UTC | Last update: 9 months 3 weeks ago DE-MILITARISED … Continue reading Syria’s buffer zone: Rebels, Turks and civilians rush to implement the Sochi deal →

Pulled back from the brink by Erdogan's pact with Putin, life in the last opposition redoubt is returning to normal - but for how long? The photo Protesters wave Syrian opposition and Turkish flags as they attend a demonstration in the Idlib town of Maarat al-Numan. (AP) By Harun al-Aswad via Middle East Eye Published date: 19 … Continue reading Idlib deal: Sweet relief tempered by scepticism in Syria’s rebel province →

For three years, this Idlib town was besieged by rebels. Now emptied, it is haunted by the ghosts of its pro-government residents and defenders. A school-turned-prison in Foua (MEE/Harun al-Aswad) By Harun al-Aswad via Middle East EyePublished date: 19 August 2018 09:01 UTC FOUA, Syria – Before the Syrian war, the fields around the northern town of Foua … Continue reading Inside Foua: A Shia town in the eye of the Syrian storm →