Deborah Amos

Teaching The Rules Of War In Syria's Vicious Conflict

Deborah Amos — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:36:00 +0000

A new video from Syria is shocking even by the standards of a war that keeps setting new standards for brutality.

In the video, a rebel fighter identified as Khalid al-Hamad is shown cutting out and eating the organs of a dead government soldier.

This appeared shortly after a pro-regime militia filmed the aftermath of a massacre of Sunni villagers in the coastal town of Banias, in which at least 62 people, including babies, were stabbed or sh

Top U.S. Official Meets With Rebels Inside Syria

Deborah Amos — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:18:00 +0000

Ambassador Robert Ford, the State Department's point man on Syrian policy, crossed into northern Syria on Wednesday. The secret visit was confirmed by Syrian activists at the media office at the Bab al-Salama crossing on the Turkish frontier.

Ford met with the head of the Aleppo military council, Abdul Jabbar Okaidi, who thanked him for the shipment of nonlethal aid. Seven trucks transported some 65,000 MREs, or meals ready to eat, the U.S. military's battlefield rations.

Thousands Of Syrians Ride Buses To Refugee Camps

Deborah Amos — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

Syria has accused Israel of flagrantly violating international law after a series of airstrikes on targets near the Syrian capital over the weekend. Now, Israel has not officially accepted responsibility, but Israeli sources say the targets included Iranian-made missiles bound for Hezbollah fighters in neighboring Lebanon.

As the civil war rages on inside Syria, the rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad have made significant gains in the southern part of the country.

As Syria Melts Down, Ice Cream Shop Sets Up In Jordan

Deborah Amos — Sat, 04 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Bakdash is a landmark in the Syrian capital, serving the Arab world's most famous ice cream since 1895.

Sea Of Syrian Refugees Threatens To Overload Jordan

Deborah Amos — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:18:00 +0000

Jordan's fastest-growing city lies in the middle of the desert, where the sand is so white that from a distance it looks like snow. There's little running water and not much electricity.

The name of this place? The Zaatari refugee camp, home to more than 100,000 Syrian refugees.

"This is a city — not one that anybody would want to create if they had a choice," says Caroline Gluck of Oxfam, one of the aid agencies working in the Zaatari camp.

'It's Not Normal': Syrian War Transforms Lives

Deborah Amos — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:22:00 +0000

In November, Razan Shalab Al-Sham, the daughter of a wealthy Syrian family, led the way to the Syrian farming village of Khirbet al-Joz to deliver an unusual kind of aid: police uniforms. A cold winter rain turned the frontier forest between southern Turkey and Syria into a muddy march up a mountain ridge along a smugglers' trail. She climbed the mountain to make the delivery herself.

Delivering police uniforms was a critical mission for Al-Sham— a symbol of what she wants Syria to become: a democratic country, with a civilian police force.

Syrian Financial Capital's Loss Is Turkey's Gain

Deborah Amos — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:03:00 +0000

There is a brain drain in Syria, an exodus of the skilled and the educated as the Syrian revolt grinds into a third year.

The health care system is one casualty, as hospitals and clinics are shelled and doctors flee the country.

The business community is another — particularly in Aleppo, Syria's largest city and once the country's industrial and financial hub.

As Aleppo was dragged into the war, many in the business community fled to southern Turkey, less than a two-hour drive away.

Syrian Aid Groups Train An Army Of Activists

Deborah Amos — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:24:00 +0000

At a border crossing, Mulham al-Jundi directs aid vehicles from southern Turkey into Syria.

Syrian Opposition Poised To Vote On Interim Government

Deborah Amos — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:36:00 +0000

As Syria's revolt enters a third year, Syria's political opposition is meeting in Istanbul this week to choose a rebel government, despite opposition from the Obama administration.

Twelve candidates are in the running to lead the efforts, including an economist, a former agriculture minister and an IT specialist who is overseeing the Syrian National Coalition's aid operation on the Turkish border.

With this list of technocrats, the opposition hopes to show it can administer large areas in nort

Courts Become A Battleground For Secularists, Islamists In Syria

Deborah Amos — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:27:00 +0000

In rebel-held parts of Syria, a clash of ideologies is playing out. Powerful Islamist brigades are competing with pro-democracy civilians to shape Syria's future.

One battlefront is in the courts. In many areas in northern Syria, Islamists have set up religious courts that deliver rulings under Shariah, or Islamic law — a fundamental change in Syria's civil legal system.

This is evident on a recent day in a courtroom in the northern Syrian city of Azaz.

In the courthouse, a judge and two lawyers preside over a civil case. It's a commercial dispute over a carload of cigarettes.

Syrian Cyber-Rebel Wages War, One Hack At A Time

Deborah Amos — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:28:00 +0000

The Internet is a battleground in Syria, a place where President Bashar Assad's regime has mounted a sophisticated surveillance campaign that includes monitoring and arresting activists by tracking their Facebook pages.

The Syrian Electronic Army, an arm of the Syrian military, is in charge of the monitoring.

But online rebels have mounted a counteroffensive.

In Ancient Aleppo, Plotting The Future

Deborah Amos — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 09:53:00 +0000

A soft-spoken, clean-shaven, 31-year-old aid worker hopes to determine, in part, the future of Aleppo, Syria's largest city.

In a rare test of democracy, Abdul Rahman Kahir won a seat on the Aleppo provincial council in a vote on March 3. The 29-member council is an attempt to restore civilian rule in the rebel-held province of 6 million people.

Miles From Home, Syrians Vote In Free Elections

Deborah Amos — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 15:53:00 +0000

In Syria's northern province of Aleppo, the war is far from over. Yet civilians are planning a dramatic gesture: an election for a civilian government.

This weekend, delegates from across the province are taking part in the first free vote outside of the control of President Bashar Assad's regime. Its location: Gaziantep, Turkey.

While most election stories begin with the issues, the candidates and what's at stake, this election is about a first-time vote for civilian leaders in a rebel-held province.

Syrian Rebels: New U.S. Aid Not Helpful Without Weapons

Deborah Amos — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 21:32:00 +0000

The top rebel commander in northern Syria was not impressed with Secretary of State John Kerry's announcement of new direct U.S. aid to the rebels and their political leaders.

Syrian Rebels, Secular And Islamist, Both Claim The Future

Deborah Amos — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:42:00 +0000

Syria's Islamists have grown in influence as the war against President Bashar Assad's government grinds on.

A Visit To A Christian Community In Syria

Deborah Amos — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:43:00 +0000

Syria's minority Christians are caught in the middle of the country's 23-month conflict. Many members of one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East are fleeing Syria. Those who stay say they fear they will be targeted by Islamist militants — a growing force among rebels fighting President Assad's regime.

Newly Displaced Syrians Head For Turkish Border

Deborah Amos and Rima Marrouch — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:20:00 +0000

A new surge of Syrian refugees is swamping humanitarian aid agencies in southern Turkey, where official refugee camps are full.

But the newcomers may be just the tip of the iceberg. In central Syria, civilians under attack by combat jets, tanks and artillery have fled towns and villages north of the city of Hama, and thousands are on the move.

"What they do now, they burn everything ahead of them. They bomb this area with everything they've got," says Hossan Hamadah, a Syrian-American from Texas.

He's seen firsthand the devastation of the new army offensive.

Through Social Media, Tracking Rape In Syria

Deborah Amos — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:57:00 +0000

Rape has long been a weapon of war, but documenting sexual violence usually happens after a conflict is over. Researchers are taking a new path with the Syrian conflict: tracking the incidents of rape as they occur.

The Women Under Siege project is live-tracking how sexualized violence is being used in Syria.

Syria's War Leaves Its Scars On The Children

Deborah Amos — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 17:54:00 +0000

The war in Syria is taking a huge toll on the children. An international team of researchers that interviewed Syrian kids in a refugee camp in Turkey found that 3 out of 4 have lost a loved one. Almost half have post-traumatic stress disorder and elevated levels of depression.

There are efforts to help, but it's challenging. In the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, the bell rings at 8 a.m. at the Friendship Elementary School.

Amid Food Shortages, Syrian Opposition Now Runs Many Towns

Deborah Amos — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:55:00 +0000

As the Syrian opposition gains control of large swaths of territory in the country's north, local councils are emerging as the first alternative authority after 21 months of revolt.

It is still unclear if the civilian councils can impose order in war-torn areas where rebels have the power of arms.

U.S. Doctors Provide Supplies, Training To Syrians

Deborah Amos — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 22:14:00 +0000

Syria's health care system is collapsing after 21 months of revolt. According to a new report by the World Health Organization, half of the country's public hospitals have been destroyed in the fighting.

Pharmacies are running out of medicine for even the most basic care. In rebel-controlled areas, field clinics and hospitals are overwhelmed. A group of Syrian-American doctors has stepped in to help, bringing in crucial supplies and providing training.

In a hotel ballroom in Antakya, Turkey, Dr.

'It's A Disaster': Life Inside A Syrian Refugee Camp

Deborah Amos — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:33:00 +0000

It's early afternoon when the sun is bright, and it's finally warm enough to come outside. This tent camp on a hill overlooking the Turkish border, near the Syrian town of Atma, houses more than 14,000 displaced Syrians.

The water here is trucked in, and it's the only source. Women line up with plastic jugs to haul the daily delivery back to the tents. What is striking are the children — in dirty clothes and summer shoes, faces red and raw from the cold.

There are no international aid agencies here.

U.S. Steps Up Aid (But No Arms) To Syrian Exiles

Deborah Amos — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:01:00 +0000

The Obama administration remains wary about arming Syria's rebels. But when it comes to humanitarian aid, the U.S. contribution, over $250 million, is second only to Turkey.

Then there is non-lethal aid, an additional $50 million for communication equipment and training courses.

If you are surprised by the numbers, so are Syrian activists, who say American support is still almost invisible on the ground. Now, U.S.

A Syrian Tank Shells Turkey, Yet The Response Is Silence. Why?

Deborah Amos — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:04:00 +0000

Whenever the Syrian military fires across the border into Turkey, it threatens to ignite a major confrontation.

But sometimes the Turks choose to play down cross-border attacks on their territory, and an episode Saturday shows how complicated these shootings can be in a war that continues to evolve.

A Syrian tank fired a series of shells into the Turkish border town of Reyhanli on Saturday night, crashing on or near a local school, a public park and a mosque.

Damascus Remains Cut Off By Fighting

Deborah Amos — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:04:00 +0000

For a second day, the Syrian capital, Damascus is cut off from the outside world, with the international airport shut, the Internet down and mobile phone lines working sporadically. There are reports of fierce clashes around the capital and heavy airstrikes in the capital's suburbs and in the northern city of Aleppo.

Syrians Turn To Aleppo TV For Survival

Deborah Amos — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 12:48:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPAVv837seA

Syrian Rebels Plan Free Election

Deborah Amos — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:03:00 +0000

In Aleppo province of northern Syria, rebel leaders are planning the first "free" election outside government control — imperfect as it may be. For the first time, towns and villages across the province will come together in each place and decide who will represent them. Rima Marrouch contributed to this report.

In One Corner Of Syria, A Rebel Victory Results In Friction

Deborah Amos — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 18:14:00 +0000

When Syrian rebels seized the border post at Ras al-Ayn on Nov. 8, they celebrated the victory and went on to "liberate" the town, a place where both Arabs and Kurds live on Syria's northeast border with Turkey.

But the Kurdish inhabitants quickly saw their "liberation" as a disaster. Within days, dozens were dead in clashes between Kurdish militias and the rebels.

Many civilians in Ras al-Ayn fled to neighboring Turkey.

In Syria, An Act Of Reconciliation Stirs Fierce Debate

Deborah Amos — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:39:00 +0000

After 20 months of violence in Syria, acts of reconciliation are scarce.

When one took place earlier this month in the town of Tel Kalakh, near the border with Lebanon, it touched off a fierce debate.

The man at the center is Ahmad Munir Muhammed, the governor of Homs, who has long been known as a loyalist of embattled President Bashar Assad.

However, Muhammed made an official visit to Tel Kalakh, where the majority of neighborhoods are controlled by the rebels.

With the rebels guaranteeing his safety, the governor drove into Tel Kalakh in early November to see a city where revolutiona

New Syrian Opposition Group Gets Thumbs Up From Facebook Users

Deborah Amos — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:45:00 +0000

Facebook is the bulletin board for the Syrian revolt.

When a newly formed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, got some 18,000 "likes" within 48 hours, it was a sign that support is building for a group formed Sunday after a week of negotiations in Doha, Qatar.

The