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When the Observer spoke to people in the besieged city three years ago, they told of their daily struggle. Now they tell their stories of exile
In December 2016, in the eastern half of Aleppo, a brutal siege was drawing to a bloody end. The last bombs were falling on its shattered streets, snipers were picking off their last victims. Besieged civilians, if they still had food, prepared their final meagre meals inside a city they had clung to for four painful years.
Its horrors had become notorious; the UN’s humanitarian chief called it “a giant graveyard”, yet when they finally left, many went with broken hearts. They knew they might never see their beloved city again, and left their dreams of a different Syria entombed in the rubble of its bombed-out homes. Aleppo was the last big urban centre held by the opposition, and with its capture, the hope of ousting President Bashar al-Assad effectively died, although the war raged on. Continue reading...