Syria

‘We are experiencing a taste of freedom’: Syrians react to President Bashar al-Assad’s downfall

Syria

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has fled the country and, for the first time in two decades, Syrians say they are experiencing a taste of freedom. Assad brutally repressed a popular uprising, which started in 2011. His forces killed, tortured and imprisoned those who spoke out against the government. Some Syrians share about what his departure means to them.

Russia’s military role in Syria

Syria

The leader behind Syria’s rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham

Syria

US authorities arrest a former Syrian official in Los Angeles

Conflict & Justice

Syrians in Cyprus live in limbo as government pauses asylum process

Israel-Hamas war

Syrian refugees in Lebanon face growing restrictions and deportation

Israel-Hamas war

Thirteen years since Syria’s civil war broke out, Lebanon remains home to the largest Syrian refugee population per capita in the world: roughly 1.5 million people. Now, Lebanese politicians say they must be sent home. Many employers have stopped hiring Syrians for menial jobs. And municipalities have issued new restrictions, even evicting Syrian tenants, according to recent news reports.

boy in his room playing guitar

His stepfather took him to Syria in 2014. His ordeal had just begun.

Shadow of ISIS

When ISIS was in power, between 2014 and 2019, the terrorist group recruited and trained children to take part in its fight. Some were brought to Syria by their parents. Others were born there. These children became part of the global terrorist movement. And today, five years since the group was defeated, hundreds of these minors and adolescents remain detained in Syria.

Wafaa Mustafa was married to American ISIS fighter Russell Dennison.

‘We have no future’: A Syrian woman speaks about her life with an American ISIS member

Shadow of ISIS

When the terrorist group ISIS emerged in Syria in the last decade, some 30,000 foreign fighters went to Syria to fight for the group. Most were from Europe and Asia. About 300 Americans joined or attempted to join ISIS, including one woman who was married to an American ISIS fighter. 

‘I have to work to help my family’: Child laborers in Raqqa face dangerous conditions

Shadow of ISIS

The campaign to liberate Raqqa in northeastern Syria from ISIS in 2017 left the city in ruins. Today, children make up a significant portion of the workforce that is rebuilding the city. One family knows the dangers of this work firsthand.

shepherd with photo

Oil refineries in northeastern Syria are sickening people and polluting the environment

Shadow of ISIS

Across northeastern Syria, makeshift refineries pump out fuel for cars, heating and electricity. They are also a major source of income for local residents who have endured more than a decade of conflict. But this critical resource is also harmful.