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Syrians catch breath as post-IS Dabiq takes shape

With the help of its local council, aspects of a normal life are gradually returning to Syria’s Dabiq following the Islamic State's expulsion from the town in late 2016.
Residents driving a motorcycle gesture towards a fighter in Dabiq town, northern Aleppo countryside, Syria October 16, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi   - RTX2P3YI
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ALEPPO, Syria — Mohammed Omar, 15, still remembers every detail of his father’s arrest on Aug. 14, 2014. He was taken by members of the Islamic State (IS) the day after the group took control of his hometown of Dabiq, in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

“I waited two years for him to come back. I needed him to be with my younger siblings, my mother and me, but we received news that he was killed by IS in a prison in al-Bab. My mom told me he was killed because he belonged to the Free Syrian Army,” he said.

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