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Articles by Mohammed al-Khatieb
Syrian camps brace for potential COVID-19 outbreak
ALEPPO, Syria — Humanitarian groups fear catastrophic consequences if the coronavirus reaches overcrowded camps for the displaced in opposition-held areas in northwest Syria, so the organizations are boosting their efforts to raise awareness among the people living there. From a clinic providing primary health care services in Al-Nour camp, 44 kilometers (27 miles) north of Aleppo city, community health workers have distributed educational brochures, going from one tent to another.
Situation remains heated in Syria's Idlib as Putin, Erdogan reach deal
IDLIB, Syria — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced a cease-fire in the Syrian province of Idlib after six hours of talks in Moscow today. Speaking from the Kremlin, Putin acknowledged disagreements with the Turkish leader, yet expressed hope the deal would be a "good basis for ending the fighting” in northwest Syria.
Damascus brushes off Ankara's threats as Assad's forces make gains in Aleppo
While Ankara continues to send its military reinforcements to Idlib, with long convoys of artillery, tanks and personnel carriers crossing the border daily, Syrian regime forces have managed to make important strategic progress that has eluded them over the past years. On Feb. 16, regime forces seized major opposition strongholds located in a large area north and west of the city of Aleppo, which includes around 15 cities and towns — most notably, Hraytan, Anadan and Kafr Hamra.
Waves of displacement continue amid Idlib escalation
IDLIB — As a light rain poured down in the early hours of the morning, vehicles carrying displaced people made their way amid clouds of fog along the road from Idlib to the Syrian-Turkish border. They fled the cities of Idlib province, Arihah and the surrounding countryside as the military offensive of Bashar al-Assad's regime forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, southeast of Idlib province continued.
Episode #117: Bombs Over Baghdadi (feat. Ali Hashem)
Episode #117: Bombs Over Baghdadi (feat. Ali Hashem) Author: Phil & Cooper Other podcast episodes Episode #116: Ceasefire & Desist (feat. Amberin Zaman) by Phil & Cooper Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 Episode #115: Seen and Not Kurd (feat. Bulent Aliriza & Jack Detsch) by Phil & Cooper Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 Episode #114: Double Double, Oil and Trouble (feat. Henry Rome) by Phil & Cooper Friday, Sep. 27, 2019 Episode #113: Déjà-Yahu (feat. Akiva Eldar & Lara Friedman) by Phil & Cooper Friday, Sep.
Witnesses describe night of Baghdadi's death
IDLIB, Syria — As he was about to go to bed at 10:45 p.m. local time on Oct. 26, Abu Ahmed (a pseudonym) heard helicopters hovering in the sky. The sound was confusing, but then grew clearer. “It was not a single helicopter, but several. The sky was dark, nothing was clear up there. The sound got closer and louder. It seemed that the helicopters were very near.” Abu Ahmed’s heart pounded and he grew increasingly tense as he wondered who sent them.
Erdogan says he does not mind presence of Syrian troops as long as Kurds leave
WEST OF MANBIJ, Syria — The agreement reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government Oct. 13 has shuffled the cards and changed the balance of power at a time when the Turkish army and the Ankara-backed Syrian National Army continue their assault on the SDF as part of the Turkish military's Operation Peace Spring, which was launched Oct. 9 in northern Syria. The SDF-affiliated self-administration announced Oct.
Merger solidifies opposition in Syria, boosts Turkey's forces
ALEPPO, Syria — News of the recent merging of the Syrian opposition's National Liberation Front (NLF) into the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) has raised questions about the meaning and outcome of the merger in the short and long run. This is especially pertinent now that Turkey has begun its battle against Kurdish fighters east of the Euphrates River, and as wary eyes keep watch on hostilities in supposedly peaceful Idlib province in the west.
Syrians ready to flee to Turkey as soon as border opens
IDLIB, Syria — Ramez Dyoub hopes he and his family can soon cross the Syrian border to reach safety in Turkey, as they have been forced to leave their hometown of Khan Sheikhoun as the Syrian regime seeks to crush the opposition's last stronghold, Idlib province. Tens of thousands of Syrians have fled to the Turkish border with northwest Syria in the past couple of weeks, officials said, and Turkey previously allowed in about 3.66 million registered refugees from its neighbor since 2012.
New crossing aims to restore Aleppo’s economic status
AL-BAB, Syria — Vehicles have regained access to the highway linking the city of Aleppo, Syria’s economic capital, to opposition-controlled al-Bab in northern Aleppo province. The regime has controlled all of Aleppo city since December 2016, while the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) controls al-Bab.
Digital safety training keeps Syrians from being arrested
AL-BAB, Syria — Mohammad Hariri is worried about news coming from the eastern Damascus suburbs that the regime recaptured in April 2018. On Feb. 28, security forces affiliated with the Syrian regime arrested three women in the town of Kafr Batna in eastern Ghouta on charges of conspiring against the regime, according to local news websites. Those arrested had contacted their relatives in opposition-controlled areas in northern Syria on the phone.
Is Turkey losing ground in Idlib?
AFRIN, Syria — Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, has sealed its grip over most of Idlib province and parts of the neighboring provinces of Aleppo and Hama. A cease-fire deal was reached Jan. 10 in Idlib between HTS and its rebel rival, the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front (NLF).
Are Turkey, Syria squaring off in response to US decision?
JARABLUS, Syria — As the many parties invested in Syria were considering how they might be affected by the United States withdrawing its troops, the Syrian regime made its own move Friday. Syria amassed its troops at Manbij in northern Syria, near the Turkish border — a city Turkey has been threatening to attack for more than a year, and with increasing frequency of late. Manbij is currently occupied by US troops and the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Syria’s internally displaced losing hope of returning home
IDLIB, Syria — Mohammad Issa puts down the tiles he's been carrying on his shoulders, then begins stacking the bricks, placing layers of cement in between to build the foundation for an additional room to widen his small house. Issa is a construction worker who has been living for two months with his wife and four children in this house. Once he completes his work, the house will have two rooms in addition to a kitchen and bath.
How Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rival operates in northern Syria
IDLIB, Syria — An alliance of opposition factions under the umbrella of the National Liberation Front (NLF) marked a shift in the balance of power in Idlib Aug. 1, as it rose as a rival to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that controlled Idlib before the NFL emerged. Apart from other small armed factions, the NLF and HTS represent the main opposition in Idlib. Each party has its own road checkpoints and city entrances.
Humanitarian disaster looms over Idlib as raids escalate
IDLIB, Syria — Cautious calm prevails over Idlib province following the bloody escalation on Aug. 10 that left 53 dead and dozens injured in several towns. When Al-Monitor visited the scene on Aug. 14, civil defense crews were still working in cooperation with locals to remove the rubble and open the roads. Ahmed Barakat gathered what remained of his destroyed home in the town of Urum al-Kubra, west of Idlib city.
Idlib locals worry as regime offensive looms
IDLIB, Syria — Al-Haj Abu Youssef keeps up with the news at the top of the hour in his small shop in al-Dabit, a neighborhood in the suburbs of Idlib, eager to hear reassuring news about the fate of his city. Abu Youssef and others share concerns about statements made by political and military officials in Damascus about a possible military attack to retake Idlib province from the opposition factions that could force hundreds of thousands into displacement.
Syrians divided by Turkish offensive on Afrin
AZAZ, Syria — Violent explosions from Turkish shelling of Mount Barsaya shook the area around Bab al-Salam crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border. Clouds of smoke rose from several locations on the mountain, 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of the crossing.
Turkish-backed rebels exchange daily fire with SDF in Aleppo
ALEPPO, Syria — Abu Rami, 35, cannot stay in his own house at night, as he fears that while he and his family are asleep, his village would come under artillery barrage. Abu Rami, a pseudonym, lives in Kaljibrin village, 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Aleppo city. The village is controlled by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by Turkey.
Protests grow over police actions in Morocco
Protesters from Al-Hirak al-Shaabi, or "Popular Movement," chant during a demonstration against corruption, repression and unemployment in Morocco's northern town of Imzouren, June 11, 2017. (photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images) Demonstrations that have rocked Morocco’s northern region of Rif for eight months have worsened of late. With a police crackdown, peaceful protests have turned into violent clashes.
Bonanza for Palestinian businesses as Ramadan travel permits canceled
The June 16 stabbing attack in Jerusalem that led to the death of an Israeli soldier caused an angry Israeli response. Three Palestinian youths carried out two simultaneous knife attacks in Jerusalem that killed an Israeli female soldier. The three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers.
Iraq outlines plans to rebuild country, inspire tolerance
The Al-Hadba minaret at the Grand Mosque is seen among buildings destroyed during combat between Iraqi forces and the Islamic State in Mosul, Iraq, April 4, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares) BAGHDAD — Iraqi military leaders expect victory this week against the Islamic State (IS) in the battle for Mosul, and the government has unveiled a $100 billion, 10-year reconstruction plan for the country that, despite some challenges, is slated to begin next year.
IS loses ground in Sinai, searches for other foothold in Egypt
Mourners gather at the Sacred Family Church for the funeral of Coptic Christians who were killed in Minya, Egypt, May 26, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany) CAIRO — The Egyptian Interior Ministry announced June 22 the killing of seven people it believed were involved in recent attacks against Copts, including church bombings and shootings in which about 100 people were killed.
Syrian refugees in Turkey return home for holidays
A Syrian boy runs with the others who say they are returning to Syria ahead of Eid al-Fitr, near the Cilvegozu border crossing, Hatay province, Turkey, June 15, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Umit Bektas) ALEPPO, Syria — Thousands of Syrian refugees in Turkey have rushed since June 1 to the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam crossings on the Turkish-Syrian border to spend the Eid al-Fitr holiday in their homeland. The dates of the holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan, vary by location and Islamic sect.
Tunisia’s poor population face death by terrorists
Hamid Ishi stands in his house, which was squatted in by Islamic State fighters and damaged during fighting with government forces, in Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, April 10, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra) The Tunisian armed forces found the body of Khalifa al-Sultani, a 21-year-old shepherd, in Jebel Mghila in the central governorate of Sidi Bouzid on June 3, after combing the exact area where the body of his brother, Mabrouk, was previously found in November 2015.
Rouhani to domestic critics: Peace more daring than war
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gestures during a news conference in Tehran, Iran, May 22, 2017. (photo by TIMA via REUTERS) Using the momentum from a recent re-election and in an effort to live up to his campaign promises, President Hassan Rouhani is urging his country’s various power centers, particularly the country’s supreme leader, to push for peace and better ties with regional countries and world powers.
Mixed messages since US-Saudi-Islamic summit prove costly
People attend the funeral of victims killed in the June 7 attack at the Iranian parliament and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's mausoleum, in Tehran, Iran, June 9, 2017.
Syrian regime clears last IS bastion in Aleppo province
Syrian pro-government forces set up a road checkpoint next to a mural reading "Islamic State" after taking control of the northern town of Maskanah, Syria, June 5, 2017. (photo by GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP/Getty Images) ALEPPO, Syria — The Syrian regime forces continue their military operations in Aleppo’s eastern countryside, and with that, towns and villages are slipping out of the Islamic State (IS) grip.
Syria’s Music Wars
Members of the Free Syrian Army chant as one of them plays the guitar near Nairab military airport in Aleppo Feb. 26, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Hamid Khatib) Once upon a peacetime Syria, listening to Fairouz was an indispensable ritual on sleepy weekday mornings. Emotional songs extolling an idealized country life, love and patriotism flowed from radios, offering temporary mental respite from the problems of day.
Can Ankara ever balance its policy in Syria?
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech at the ruling Justice and Development Party's headquarters in Ankara, May 2, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Umit Bektas) The fourth round of cease-fire talks to resolve the six-year Syrian civil war took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, on May 3-4. Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov announced that Turkey, Iran and Russia had signed a memorandum to establish safe zones in Syria.
Putin changes conversation on Syria with cease-fire plan
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a news conference following talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia, May 3, 2017.
Residents in Syria's eastern Ghouta face tightened siege
A man inspects bread to be distributed as aid in the rebel-held besieged city of Douma, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria, April 15, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Bassam Khabieh) Mona Mohammed has been trying to adapt to a new lifestyle that was imposed on her by the Syrian regime's siege of eastern Ghouta, to the east of Damascus, on March 21.
Chemical attacks and narrow streets complicate fight for Mosul’s Old City
A gas mask sits atop ammunition boxes at a federal police front-line position against the Islamic State in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, April 15, 2017. (photo by Shelly Kittleson) MOSUL, Iraq — On April 23, a surprise attack including two suicide attacks by Islamic State (IS) fighters hit a checkpoint for the federal police in the south of Mosul. Two Iraqi policemen were killed and one was injured.
Mattis' Mideast trip holds promise, reality check for Israel
US Defense Secretary James Mattis departs from Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt, and heads to Israel, April 20, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst) US Defense Secretary James Mattis has spent time in a lot of Middle East “garden spots.” The former chief of the US Central Command and retired four-star general who served in Iraq knows the region well and has no illusions about the challenges it presents for US interests.
Ankara not backing down from Iraq intervention
A Turkish army tank drives toward the Turkish-Syrian border at Karkamis in southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, Aug. 25, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Umit Bektas) Having announced the end of Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria on March 29, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shortly thereafter declared a pending new stage of the operation, but on Iraqi soil. Any such operation is expected to exacerbate the myriad conflicts in the area.
Under Turkey's watch, al-Bab tries to rebuild
Birds fly up as men ride a motorcycle through a damaged neighborhood in the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, March 4, 2017. (photo by REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi) AL-BAB, Syria — The city of al-Bab, located 38 kilometers (roughly 24 miles) northeast of Aleppo, has come back to life following months of bombings and battles that ended with the Islamic State’s withdrawal Feb. 23.
Why Israel will warmly welcome Mattis
US Defense Secretary James Mattis, seen here at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on April 13, 2017, will likely hear a lot about Iran during his visit to Israel April 20-21. (photo by REUTERS/Eric Thayer) Israel sees the April 20-21 visit of Defense Secretary James Mattis as a critical milestone in shaping the new relationship between the Trump administration and the Netanyahu government.
Who is Golani, al-Nusra's No. 1 man?
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Shalal and Amer (pseudonyms of two Syrian men interviewed by Al-Monitor) never believed that the supermarket they worked in more than 10 years ago near al-Akram mosque in the Mezze district of Damascus would turn out to belong to the family of a man who, even after revealing his face for the first time, continues to make the headlines. The man is Abu Mohammed al-Golani.
Could this be the last battle for Aleppo?
A Free Syrian Army tank fires in the Ramouseh area, southwest of Aleppo, Syria, Aug. 2, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail) ALEPPO, Syria — On July 31, Syrian opposition factions launched a fierce attack on Aleppo in northern Syria. In a first of its kind, the attack involved all of the opposition factions and groups. Inside opposition-controlled neighborhoods, which have been besieged for almost a month by the Syrian regime, the scene changed completely when the battles erupted July 31.
Classic cars withstood coups, but can they survive war in Aleppo?
Abu Omar, a 69-year-old Syrian classic car collector, stands next to one of his cars in the rebel-held al-Shaar district of Aleppo, Syria, Dec. 20, 2015. (photo by KARAM AL-MASRI/AFP/Getty Images) ALEPPO — On one of the charming streets of Aleppo’s al-Shaar neighborhood, devastated by bombardment by the Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies, Mohammad Mohiuddin Anis — known as Abu Omar — parks his classic automobiles on both sides of the road across from the old building that he calls home.
Syrians describe 'most dangerous journey ever' fleeing IS territories
Syrians carry their belongings at the Syrian border crossing of Bab al-Hawa on the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib governorate, Jan. 21, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Abed Kontar) ALEPPO, Syria — “It was the most dangerous journey ever,” said Abu Alaa (a pseudonym), describing his trek, which ended in the northern Aleppo countryside in an area controlled by the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
How one journalist is going after false news on Syria
The platform Verify corrects or affirms news items regarding the situation in Syria, April 15, 2016. (photo by FACEBOOK/Verify) ALEPPO, Syria — Since the outbreak of the revolution in Syria five years ago, various Arab and international media outlets naturally began publishing daily reports about the various political, military and humanitarian developments in the country.
Bashar basking in Baath Party victory
A banner showing Syria's president Bashar al-Assad and his father, former president Hafez al-Assad, is seen inside a polling station during the parliamentary elections in Damascus, April 13, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki) ALEPPO, Syria — In a strange scene full of contradiction, President Bashar al-Assad's government held parliamentary elections April 13 in a country that has been crumbling under the weight of shelling, battles and displacement for five years in a row.
Aleppo sees cautious calm amid cease-fire
Children play near a bus barricading a street, which serves as protection from snipers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo's rebel-controlled Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood, Syria, April 6, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail) ALEPPO, Syria — Umm Ahmed, 50, sat on the grass with her daughter in a garden in Sukkari, an Aleppo neighborhood. She sipped tea and talked with some of the other women in the garden as her grandchildren played around them on this sunny day.
How Syrian cease-fire has reignited spark of the revolution
Protesters carry Free Syrian Army flags and chant slogans during an anti-government protest in the town of Marat Numan in Idlib province, Syria, March 4, 2016. (photo by REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi) ALEPPO, Syria — As soon as the cease-fire between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the opposition went into effect Feb. 27, protesters returned to Syria's streets, bringing to mind the first protests staged five years ago calling for freedom and the overthrow of the government.
Why the fall of this Syrian city raises red flags in Jordan
Syrian pro-government forces celebrate on a street in the town of Sheikh Miskin after they retook the strategic town from rebel forces, Jan. 26, 2016. (photo by STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images) Jordan is carefully watching the military developments in the southern Syrian province of Daraa following the recapture of the strategic town of Sheikh Miskin on Jan. 26 by government forces in a Russian-backed offensive that began at the end of December.
Russian air raid hits Aleppo schools
A school destroyed by Russian airstrikes is seen in Aleppo, Syria. (photo by Mohammed Al-Khatieb) Like a madman, I jumped out of bed, awakened by the horrendous sound of a violent blast that shook the room. The doors opened wide and the glass windows shattered. I rushed out of the bedroom, but it was only after hearing the roar of the warplanes that I realized what had happened. This was how my day started at 8 a.m. Jan. 11, in the town of Hawar in the western countryside of Aleppo.
Can Syrian opposition defend both Hama and Aleppo at the same time?
Rebel fighters hold their weapons as they take their positions near the town of Kafr Nabuda in Hama province, Syria, Oct. 11, 2015. The Syrian army, backed by allied militias, has made advances in western Syria after heavy Russian airstrikes. (photo by REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah) ALEPPO, Syria — Opposition fighters have made progress in their critical quest to reach the central Syrian city of Hama, but now are being weakened by their efforts to defend Aleppo at the same time.
After Iranian, Russian military advances Syrian opposition suffers setback in Aleppo
Free Syrian Army fighters fire rockets toward forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the countryside of Quneitra, Syria, June 17, 2015. (photo by REUTERS/Alaa Al-Faqir) ALEPPO, Syria — Russian and Iranian support of Syrian government forces proved to be pivotal in recent fighting in Aleppo’s southern countryside. Syrian opposition forces lost several important towns and strategic locations in a large-scale offensive the Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies launched Oct. 16.
Tunisia Nobel Peace Prize resonates across Middle East
Protesters from Tunisia's poor rural heartlands chant slogans during a demonstration by the prime minister's office in Tunis, Jan. 23, 2011. (photo by REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra) Democracy activists across the Middle East are taking solace in the Nobel recognition for Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution while their own Arab Spring dreams remain unfulfilled.
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