Skip to main content

Internally displaced Syrians find shelter, but few friends, in Latakia

Internally displaced Syrians share their journey from Idlib province, where they suffered under the opposition's siege, to Latakia, where they found refuge but also hostility.
A view shows collapsed buildings after what activists said was a U.S.-led air strike on Harem city in Idlib countryside November 7, 2014. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4DB3M
Read in 

LATAKIA, Syria — “They told us they’ll kill us, and they’ll kill the babies inside of us,” said Mariam Hussein, describing the horrors her neighborhood faced before her family fled in the middle of the night.

Sitting inside a small classroom she converted into a home for herself and her four children, Mariam has been living in the Sports College in the middle of Latakia city for the last four years along with 262 other extended family members who fled their home in Harem, Idlib, following fierce battles and a harrowing siege. The siege was imposed by opposition fighters in the area in the summer of 2011 and evolved over the next 18 months.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.