Many began pitching tents as the anniversary approached, wary they might have to flee their houses once again.
When the earthquakes struck in the early hours of 6 February last year, people in Idlib said they thought the ground violently shaking meant airstrikes from the government in Damascus. Now the rumble of airstrikes makes them fearful that another earthquake is happening.
For six-year-old Jinan, the quaking of the ground either from an aftershock or airstrike is enough to send her running fearfully into the tent where she now lives alongside her younger brother, Abdullah, their grandparents and 18 other orphans.
The earthquakes changed Jinan and Abdullah’s lives, and their frightened faces, trapped between layers of rubble, came to symbolise Idlib’s suffering when footage of their plight went viral.
“We can deal with bombings but not another earthquake,” said their uncle Omar Rahal, who shot the video, offering a little gallows humour. “This is our reality.”
As those in Idlib attempted to recover from earthquakes that killed an estimated 8,000 people across Syria, over half in the northwest, the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus scaled up a deadly bombing campaign in the enclave.
One vicious campaign of strikes last September killed 45 people in Idlib and devastated multiple pieces of civilian infrastructure, adding to a string of destruction wrought by the quakes which damaged thousands of schools, medical centres and homes.
Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin February 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Guardian dergisinin February 05, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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