Free Syrian Army

Soldiers gather outside around a military vehicle.

‘He wanted to give back’: Aid volunteer killed on the Syria-Turkey border

Conflict & Justice

Zhao Seng, a citizen of Myanmar, traveled halfway around the world to work as a medic and videographer with a humanitarian group in northern Syria. David Eubank of the Free Burma Rangers talks with host Marco Werman about Sang’s death, what motivated him to work in front-line humanitarian aid, and the fighting that continues to rage in the border region.

Abu Ezzat in the Old City of Aleppo.

A father in Aleppo frets about five of his sons on rebel frontlines

Conflict
A man reacts as he carries a child who survived what activists said were barrel bombs dropped by forces of Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad in the Al-Fardous neighborhood of Aleppo, September 19, 2014.

US air strikes spark sympathy for Syrian extremist groups in rebel-held areas

Conflict
Vehicles burn after two car bombs exploded in the Karm al-Louz neighbourhood in Homs.

Why some rebels are ‘determined to make a last stand’ in the Syrian city of Homs

Conflict & Justice
The World

Why are US-made anti-tank missiles showing up in Syria?

Conflict & Justice
Syrian rebel fighters

A new Frontline documentary covers the ‘second front’ in Syria between rebels and jihadists

Conflict & Justice

The Syrian war has changed in its three years. The Free Syrian Army forces that were attacking the Assad regime and its government soldiers are now locked in battle with Islamic fighters, who were once their allies. PBS Frontline journalist Muhammad Ali slipped across the Syrian border to report on this “second front” in Syria.

Residents and activists pull a girl from under debris after what activists said were explosive barrels dropped by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo, Syria on February 2, 2014.

What are ‘barrel bombs’ and why is the Syrian military using them?

Conflict & Justice

It’s essentially an improvised explosive device – an oil barrel filled with explosive material and shrapnel – dropped from the sky. Host Marco Werman speaks with Time’s Middle East bureau chief, Aryn Baker from Beirut about so-called barrel bombs and why Syrian forces are dropping them on cities.

Abu Hussein

Why this Syrian man regrets bringing Al-Qaeda fighters into his country

Conflict & Justice

Expectations are pretty low for this week’s Syria peace talks in Geneva. It will the first time that government and opposition representatives actually meet since the civil war began almost three years ago. But a third major player in the conflict will be missing: the Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebel group that controls much of north-east Syria. Most of its fighters are foreign. Here’s the story of one Syrian man who has been forced into exile by the very men he once helped bring into his country.

Syrian demonstrators pose with a sign in Kafr Nabl, near Idlib.

Creative protest help boot extremists out of one Syrian town

Conflict & Justice

In Kafr Nabl a Syrian town known as the “creative hub” of the revolution, local artists are famous for lampooning President Bashar al-Assad in posters and signs. But in recent months, the town’s residents have used original tactics to help eject jihadists in their midst, according to opposition activist Mariam Jalabi.

Kamal Hamami, a former FSA senior commander, was killed by the Islamic State in northern Syria.

This rebel unit in Syria was a major player, now they’re disbanded

Conflict & Justice

In Syria a bombing campaign against rebel-held parts of Aleppo killed more than 300 people over the past 10 days according to activists. Meanwhile across Northern Syria, the mainstream armed opposition –the Free Syrian Army– has lost the upper hand to a coalition of Islamic brigades and to al-Qaeda-linked groups. Here’s the story of one FSA unit that started as a major player in the insurgency in Latakia province, and ended the year disbanded.