Fleeing The Bombs, Syrians Set Up Camp Underground
Umer Jamshaid Published February 28, 2020 | 10:00 AM
Taltunah, Syria, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Feb, 2020 ) :In a field dotted with olive trees in embattled northwestern Syria, Shamseddeen Darra steps down into the gloomy underground shelter he and his family now call home.
After fleeing a deadly offensive by government forces on their home region of Idlib, they found nowhere else to go.
Beyond rolling hills in the village of Taltuna, Darra, his three brothers, their wives and more than a dozen children share a small room in the belly of the earth.
"We're living here for lack of a better option," says 35-year-old Darra, who calls their makeshift shelter "the cave".
"We didn't have any tents. We stayed in the town mosque for two days. We looked for a place to stay but found nothing," he explained.
After they found the abandoned shelter, dug out by villagers earlier in the civil war to hide from air strikes, they cleaned it out and moved in.
Backed by Russia, government forces have been chipping away at Syria's last major rebel bastion since December.
The region is run by jihadists and allied rebel groups, and is home to around three million civilians.
The violence has forced 900,000 of them to flee their homes or shelters, more than half of them children.
- 'Scorpions and snakes' - Inside their new underground home, Darra's children huddle on a carpet around a tray covered in small bowls of hummus and dried oregano in olive oil.
Sunshine seeps in only from the staircase, the only source of light to cast away the dank darkness.
In a corner, the family has piled its scant belongings under a red and navy blue blanket.
"We're suffering from the humidity. The kids are sick," he said, as nearby one of them started crying.
"And there are bugs," added Darra, wearing a thick black hooded sweatshirt.
Not far off, 40-year-old Abu Mohammed had also set up camp in an underground bunker.
He and around 40 people now share the space, where they have thrown a plastic rug on the ground and piled plastic jars of picked olives and other food along the uneven wall.
When we first arrived, "the cave was dirty. There was animal excrement," said Abu Mohammed, wearing a black leather jacket and sporting a greying beard.
"The villagers warned us there were scorpions and snakes, but we had no other option," he said.
Of those newly displaced since December, some 170,000 live out in the open or in unfinished buildings, the United Nations says.
AFP correspondents have seen families without shelter forced to camp out in their cars, sleep in schools or mosques, or even make home in an abandoned prison.
- Among the dead - But in the town of Sarmada further north, Yusra Harsuni said she and her family had reached new lows.
She, her daughter-in-law and grandchildren were now among 60 families living in the hall of the local cemetery.
When the rain stops during the daytime, men and women emerge to stroll between the graves.
They and their children sit on the grass, breathing in fresh air beyond the white marble tomb stones.
Inside, the sunlit hall is divided into two sections according to gender, and heated up with large stoves.
Babies cry out, piercing through the low din of everyday chatter.
Here and there, essential belongings grabbed in flight have been piled up haphazardly. There are mattresses, carpets, saucepans and boxes of food.
"There are lots of families inside," Harsuni said, sitting by a tomb with two small children.
Living next to a graveyard is not easy, she said.
One night a small boy started screaming and people thought he was possessed.
"The sheikh twice had to come and recite the Quran" to rid the place of any spirits, she said.
But the grandmother says she has now resigned herself to living among the dead.
"Of course, here in the middle of tombs, people are scared of death," she said.
"But it's the lesser of two evils."
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Heavy rain and hailstorm paralyse life in Hazara division
RoboTec 24 kicked off in Mechatronics Department Hayatabad
Commissioner orders 100pc recovery of DMC fee from defaulters
Police arrest two wanted criminals: SSP Larkana
Commissioner for comprehensive strategy against measles as 203 cases detected
Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) recovers 39 kg drugs in nine operations
Roti Price Violation: 10 hotel owners held for overcharging
Regenerative Economics to revolutionize urban development in developing countrie ..
South Korean doctors reject govt proposal to end strike
Pak-China ties strengthening with each passing day : Punjab Chief Minister Marya ..
Waqar Mehdi condemns PTI's behaviour during President's address to joint session
Pakistani heroes: unity, resilience shine amidst crisis in Sharjah
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Transforming education sector: from job hunters to job creators
1 day ago -
Amjad Bobby remembered on 19th death anniversary for timeless contributions to music
5 days ago -
Legendary actor Nadeem’s 26 films released on Eid-ul-Fitr days in 50 years
6 days ago -
Besant Hall Cultural Centre to celebrate evening with Sanam Marvi on 26 April
6 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur presents program “Eidi Shidi”
9 days ago -
Radio Bahawalpur to broadcast Eid programs
11 days ago
-
DC, DPO Haripur inspect bus terminals to review fares compliance
13 days ago -
Second phase of refugees’ repatriation to start after Eidul Fitr vacations
13 days ago -
Reaping bounties as Ramazan culminates
13 days ago -
Digital transformation – a boon or bane
13 days ago -
Plants’ business: Another casualty of climate change
15 days ago -
Eid shoppers prioritize children’s joy over personal comforts
15 days ago