Aleppo

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/aleppo

I entered the single word "Aleppo" into Google the other day and was soon overwhelmed by the sheer number of articles that appeared. Nearly all of these articles were centered around the Syrian Crisis in some form or another, whether it was talking about recent bombings/air strikes, the involvement of other countries in Syria, horror stories told by some of the the victims of the crisis, or the number of injuries and fatalities of recent attacks. I saw practically no articles on more uplifting topics, whether its on Syrian culture, etc.

This Google search really reminded me about how all-consuming the Syrian crisis is for so many people. As Sama Wareh recently told those of us who attended the GIP event featuring her, war is the center of focus for Syrians (regardless whether or not they are currently living in Syria, have immigrated to another country, or are a refugee seeking asylum in Lebanon, Turkey, etc.). Just as Wareh said that war consumed the focus of the Syrian refugee children, as was seen by their numerous drawings and paintings depicting decapitations, bombings, and death. My Google search of Aleppo really allowed me to understand how that is possible, for war is the life of so many Syrians right now. They are constantly surrounded by bloodshed and violence.

I read one of the articles that came up during my search that centered around 11 people dying when a block of flats collapsed, having been so weakened by attacks during the war that it could no longer support itself. I read another article from a doctor's point of view that described many of the injuries he had seen during the crisis (children missing hands, old men who had to have their legs amputated, etc.). I read about how nearly two years after the Assad regime had regained control of Aleppo, the city was still in ruins. I read another article about how some Syrians survive in Aleppo and their struggles to avoid the bombings and starvation. All in all, there were so many stories to be told, and I was reminded by how all-consuming and devastating war is to people just trying to survive each day.

Articles:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/02/aleppo-syria-war-damaged-block-of-flats-collapses
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/sep/11/syria-hospital-medics-idlib-refugees
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syrians-returning-aleppo-confront-hope-hardship-n905231
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/10/21/how-to-survive-in-aleppo/?utm_term=.d345876c0f28
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/aleppo-falls-to-syrian-regime-bashar-al-assad-rebels-uk-government-more-than-one-story-robert-fisk-a7471576.html