‘Syria is emptying’ as people flee the war

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‘Syria is emptying’. A Turkish soldier carrying a Syrian woman's bags as she crosses into Turkey from Syria.
‘Syria is emptying’. A Turkish soldier carrying a Syrian woman’s bags as she crosses into Turkey from Syria.

Beirut, Lebanon – A new exodus of Syrians is fueling the extraordinary flow of migrants and refugees to Europe, as Syria’s four-year-old war becomes the driving force behind the greatest migration of people to the continent since the Second World War.

Syrians account for half of the 381,000 refugees and migrants who have sought asylum in Europe so far this year, which is in turn almost a doubling of the number in 2014 — making Syrians the main component of the influx.

The continued surge through Europe prompted Hungary, Austria and Slovakia to tighten border controls Monday, a day after Germany projected that in excess of a million people could arrive by year’s end and began to impose restrictions on those entering the country.

How many more Syrians could be on the way is impossible to know, but as the flow continues, their number is rising. According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 78 percent of those who washed up on inflatable dinghies on the beaches of Greece in July were Syrian, the latest month for which figures are available.

Some were already among the 4 million refugees who have sought sanctuary in neighboring countries, but many also are coming from inside Syria, constituting what Melissa Fleming of the UNHCR called a “new exodus” from the ravaged country. They are bypassing the refugee camps and heading straight for Europe, as the fallout from a war President Obama once called “someone else’s civil war” spills far beyond Syria’s borders.

More are on the way. Syrians are piled up on the streets of the Turkish port city of Izmir waiting for a place on one of the flimsy boats that will ferry them across the sea to Greece, and they say they have friends and family following behind.

“Everyone I know is leaving,” said Mohammed, 30, who climbed three mountains to make his way across the Turkish border from the city of Aleppo with his pregnant wife, under fire from Turkish border guards. “It is as though all of Syria is emptying.”

Analysts say it was inevitable it would come to this, that Syrians would eventually tire of waiting for a war of such exceptional brutality to end. At least 250,000 have been killed in four ferocious years of fighting, by chemical weapons, ballistic missiles and the barrel bombings by government warplanes that are the biggest single killer of civilians, according to human rights groups.

Men on both sides die in the endless battles between the government and rebels for towns, villages and military bases that produce no clear victory. The Islamic State kills people in the areas it controls with beheadings and other brutal punishments. The United States is leading a bombing campaign against the Islamic State but has shown scant interest in solving the wider Syrian war, which seems destined to only escalate further with the deepening involvement of Russian troops.

“It should surprise no one. Hopelessness abounds,” said Fred Hof, a former State Department official who is now with the Atlantic Council. “Why would any Syrian with an option to leave and the physical ability to do so elect to stay?”

There are other nationalities, too; refugees from conflict zones such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, alongside a small number of economic migrants from countries that include Bangladesh, Pakistan and Senegal.

But overwhelmingly this is a crisis of people fleeing war, and above all, the one in Syria, Fleming said.

“In the absence of the Syrians coming in the numbers they are coming, there wouldn’t be this huge surge in numbers,” she said. “This is why we are calling it a refugee crisis, not a migrant crisis.”

The exodus speaks in part to the deficiency of the underfunded aid effort, which has failed to provide anything more than basic subsistence to the refugees who have already fled the conflict into Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.

Since the flow of refugees first began in 2012, U.N. officials have repeatedly warned of the consequences of neglecting the refugee crisis, Fleming said.

“This was something Syrians felt they could tolerate for a certain amount of time because they hoped they could go home,” she said. “But with that hope becoming dimmer and dimmer and conditions becoming even harder, no one should question or be amazed at the large numbers of Syrians risking their lives to get to Europe.”

Interviews with the Syrians crowding into Izmir to make the sea crossing from Turkey to Greece suggest that just as many are arriving from inside Syria.

They come from every corner of Syria, but mainly the government and rebel-held areas that are more densely populated and more fiercely contested than the desert territories held by the Islamic State.

Their sad stories track the tides of a war that has been largely ignored by the outside world.

Ramadan Mohammed, 53, a widower who lost his leg in shelling in Aleppo in 2012, spends his days on a blanket on the street, waiting for another chance to board a boat after multiple failed attempts. It isn’t easy to climb into a flimsy dinghy with only one leg, he said, and if it sinks, as many do, he won’t be able to swim.

But he grew despondent living alone in a tent in a refugee camp in Lebanon, and he hopes he will be able to find a job in Europe.

Mohammed Hassan, 33, fled to a refugee camp in Lebanon from the town of Yabroud outside Damascus after Hezbollah fighters captured it from rebels in 2014. He said he could no longer bear watching his three children grow up without going to school, and he plans to bring them to Europe after he has settled there.

“My wife wants me to go so that the children can get an education,” he said.

Most making the journey are men, in part because families prefer to send their fathers and sons on the dangerous trek, to send later for their relatives after they have secured legal residency, Fleming said.

But many are young and single, escaping a war they might otherwise have to fight.

Saleh, 24, and his friend Abdul-Qader, 27, were soldiers in the Syrian army until rebels overran their checkpoint in the province of Idlib last year. They managed to get away but felt betrayed by their government’s failure to send reinforcements or supplies to their besieged post.

“We were with the regime, but when they didn’t come to defend us, we decided to desert,” Saleh said. The pair have been on the run since, finding occasional work, and now have saved enough for the trip.

Syria’s bitterly divisive politics are mostly forgotten in the dash to get to Europe.

“Syrians are disgusted by politics,” said a 24-year-old man who left Damascus last week and hopes to resume his law studies in Germany. He fought briefly with a government militia in 2013 and decided to leave Syria after he was summoned last month to join the army, part of a new, countrywide call-up of reservists that has contributed large numbers of young men from government-held areas to this latest exodus from Syria.

“I would have had to serve the regime and participate in killing civilians,” said the man, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Bashir. “Most Syrians are now convinced the war is pointless. We don’t know who is winning, and they are all just killing each other.”

Lying on a mat nearby was a group of men who had fought with the rebels and had traveled from the southern province of Daraa, the birthplace of the 2011 revolt that sparked the war that triggered the refugee crisis. Their 500-mile journey, an eight-day trek across the length of Syria and many of its front lines, guided by Bedouin smugglers, was more hazardous than any challenge they may encounter in Europe.

The first stretch took them through the government-held province of Suwayda, where the wife and six children of Abdul Kareem Mazen, traveling in a separate car, were detained by a local regime-backed militia. They were carrying the money for the journey and he is now stranded, Mazen said, without the means either to return to negotiate their release or press on to Europe.

The next stretch traversed the eastern desert provinces controlled by the Islamic State, whose fighters routinely stop the smuggler convoys, interrogate the travelers and take into custody anyone they suspect may have fought with the Free Syrian Army, as well as professionals such as doctors and lawyers, according to several of the refugees who took the route.

Those detained are sent to “repentance” camps, said Ayham Jarad, 38, who resisted threats of torture and did not admit his rebel affiliation. His friend did and was taken away.

“People don’t want to fight any more. They just want to eat,” said Abu Hamza, another former rebel who recently left Daraa and asked to be identified only by his nickname. “I sold everything I had just to get here — my fridge, my bed, everything.”

After successfully navigating government, rebel and Islamic State checkpoints, Abu Hamza and his party of nine men and three women were held up for days by Turkish guards who repeatedly turned them back. Eventually, one of the women, his brother’s wife, gave up and returned home, he said.

The others made it and now are living cheerfully under a big tree on one of the backstreets of Izmir, tracking down smugglers and negotiating their passage to Greece.

Washington Post

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27 responses to “‘Syria is emptying’ as people flee the war”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar

    “People don’t want to fight any more. They just want to eat,” …. welcome to Tripoli, Leb.

    But yes, who’s left to grow food ?? And where can it be grown safely anyway ?? ‘An Army Runs On It’s Stomach’ … and eats everybody else out of existence.
    ISISies want everyone to ‘repent’ and join the cooking pot.

  2. 5thDrawer Avatar

    The MUSIC for the next blockbuster musical ‘NEW WORLD EXODUS’ will have a slightly different sound, using some ‘traditional instruments’ and exotic chords from places music was still permitted to be played … but ‘The Feelings’ will be the exact same as in the previous smaller ones.

    1. The Shiites asking help on Imam Azzam,an..Zainab..even ali in wars..they are not asking God….their ulemas is super t next to any prophets..Shiah evented by the Persian to gain politic ..to restore their past Persians glory..persian empire.. and Abdullah bin saba,a Jew to destroy authentic muslims, believe..Jews just destroy Isa pbuh religion and turned toa cult..Paulus Christianity..Paulus also a Jew..Jews destroy everything that reach in their hand..religion..politic..economy..history..sciene and knowledge..it is their history at the past.even now…they are killers of many prophets.Abdullah Saba and the Persians ulemas destroy islam at is worse..the two deluding the Persian..even many Arabs driven them as non muslims…political doctrine planted tightly in the Shiites..that why they always find ways to destroy Sunnis glory..and restore Persians glory..that why engage in wars on killing Sunnis regarded as religious teaching..Zionist ,America took advantage on this and playing death game in Iraq to destroy Iran and Sunnis.the Shiites..also destroy the strong Sunni Saddam..both really Jews and Isreal,s enemies…When it is political games in Shiah..what Sunnis have to do.?..they can,t show their neck to be cut easily by the Shiites..so they fight and also killing the Shiites..and it is authentic Alhadith by the Prophets..The prophet said to Ali…”when to see these people kill them”..Ask ali..How I m going to identified them”.The Prophet said..”They are praises you what you dosen,t have and they are mocking the companions” (Abu Bakar,Umar and Othman)..that why Abu Bakar Baghdadi take no Shiites prisoners..he is among the great Sunnis scholars..he read the Hadith.Of course at war times..and not at peace times.Even so I m not Zion who plan sectarian to killing both Sunnis and Shiites..some western people said..Shites and sunnis killing each others for a thousands years before..yes ..because the Shiites always mess up with sunnis to destroy sunnis glory and restore their Persian Empire.when the Shiites have Iran to live in ..the war among Shiites and Sunnis seem to decline..somehow America and Zion plan their past hatred and wars to killing both side on behalf of Israel and to control oil..oil is really a gold to enrich Western civilization and economy by running their billion of engines and machines..including their killing machines..without Arab,s oil western civilization eventually died.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        So Zab … in the West it’s called a ‘right’ to self-defence. The basic premise (on the small scale) is expanded to include the right of a country to do that. But it’s the right of the individual to defend. And when everyone is all bandaged up and in court later on, for fighting, judgement is generally decided on ‘who hit who first’. Verbal fisticuffs do not cause physical harm, but if someone throws a punch, and then all hell breaks loose, the words may be used as evidence, but it is the hitting which is bad. Because hitting can kill.
        At some point in history, (by general decisions of law-thinkers) when countries hit each other, they ended up being judged by an ‘international court’ … in our ‘modern’ times, there are various types of judgements and judges and law-keepers. But it is a ‘general law’ premise that it is not nice to hit, or to kill, or to steal.
        If the judge sees before him one with a broken hand, and one with a broken jaw, he may easily know who threw the first punch – and then has to listen to some of the silly reasons the punch was thrown, to make a decision on ‘just retribution’. If he is looking at a dead body with a broken jaw, and the one with the broken hand says: ‘He made me do it’… well, that may be not correct, since few want to be killed (even if they are idiots who can’t keep their mouths shut) – so the judge must rely on witnesses to say what they have seen or heard, to make a judgement, since the ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ concept holds true. (outside of forensic science evidence)
        IN ALL the ‘God Law’ – of the One God – One line holds precedence. ‘Thou shalt not kill.’
        That is the basis of the beginning of the ‘Civil Law’ of a society. Yours, mine, and Donald Duck’s. And IF one ‘believes’ in the first line (There is No other God), and believes that those were ‘His Words’, then the other lines should be followed as well. No matter WHICH stupid sect one wants to ‘belong to’. Or which kind of ‘Party’ either. Basically, let’s say, ‘The Beginning’.
        (In the evolutionary sense, a time when ‘human’ recognized there were ‘feelings’ hurt by killing)
        BECAUSE humans are humans, and Judges realized they may not hear all the ‘facts’, and may not be actually ‘able’ to deliver a ‘just’ judgement, the simple ‘bottom line’ is also a finality …. ‘God will Judge’. AND THAT IS THE BEST EXCUSE EVER, to do just about anything you want.
        And that’s the ‘Right Of Self Defence’. I don’t think any God ever mentioned that one.
        So .. YES .. It’s ALL politics. ;-))

        1. In History the winner is the law.With there is evidence or not.

      2. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
        Maborlz Ez-Hari

        Corl kharra, zmek.

        1. I m helping your way…it is knowledge and fact..no an insult.

          1. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
            Maborlz Ez-Hari

            You talk to much. Spare us your knowledge.. blease.

          2. stop exposing wrong doing is bad.

          1. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
            Maborlz Ez-Hari

            Hi ya darling.

      3. Hind Abyad Avatar

        “British Isis member complains of ‘rude Arabs’ who steal his shoes, eat like children and won’t queue”..he thinks ISIS is Syrian?
        http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/british-isis-member-complains-of-rude-arabs-who-steal-his-shoes-eat-like-children-and-wont-queu

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar

          Well, that page is missing now … do you have that effect on all the news sites? 😉 :-))))

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar

            Some pages are always “missing”..this one showing ISIS non-Arabs in social media not good for NATO Mafia.

            “Omar Hussain, also known as Abu Sa’eed al-Britani, wrote the length rant under the title” Culture Clash: Understanding The Syrian Race.”

            This idiot is not living in Syrian society but in jungle of illiterate misfits foreign barbarians..and some cannibals
            http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200756#.VfwcjdJ_Oko

        2. like all of us..there is ignorant westerners,who know nothing a bout world affairs.All races have their bad people..not only Arabs.

          1. 5thDrawer Avatar

            Very true. If you could actually find ‘one’ who understood everything, you might even have to call that person ‘Supreme’. :-))))) (practically, and logically, an impossibility)

  3. cook2half Avatar

    I’m all for Syrian refugees to come to Europe. But economic migrants from Africa who try to take advantage of this can fuck off.

    1. Intouchable Avatar
      Intouchable

      If you call those refugees, than you lost more then one screw.

      “Refugees” angry with Hungary’s closure of its Serbian border attempted to storm one of the border crossings, throwing rocks and other detritus at Hungarian police and soldiers on the other side and shouting “”Allahu akbar”.
      The Hungarians responded with tear gas and blasts from water cannons.

      A migrant throws a stone at Hungarian riot police.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Sure not all of them are the ‘cowering, spiritually-defeated, woeful and destitute’ of humanity.
        WHICH IS the reason to ‘Document, and Process’ all of them – in one location – before deciding the merits of their cases. Allowing rambling packs to roam the earth doesn’t exactly make them automatically ‘welcome’ anywhere or provide any relief for those who truly are in need.
        When it is shown the numbers who simply search better incomes, or worse, the ones who helped cause the problems in the first place are among the crowds seeking ‘sanctuary’, all will be ignored. True refugees should point them out whenever possible.

  4. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
    Maborlz Ez-Hari

    The exodus of people from Syria has gone to plan, who’s plan? I don’t know but we’ll see who fills the spaces in the very near future, maybe that will explain a few recent events. Land grabs, new settlers, vacant land, I can see a new wave of occupying bastards heading in this direction. A few more assholes from Europe should be heading to Israel soon now that Europe is getting belted with the burden of caring for the displaced and there is only an evergrowing need to farm and land is limited in Israel therefore supply will be high and needs to be met, I got an idea Syria is up the road and no one is there, it must be a promise from God for the chosen people. Here we go again………

    1. Hind Abyad Avatar

      Plus, American Evangelicals want to replace Middle East Christians.
      Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in West Bank
      http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/world/middleeast/06settle.html?_r=0

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        In the perfect world, there wouldn’t be any taxes. :-)))

    2. Hind Abyad Avatar

      Rednecks American Christian Evangelists want to replace Middle East Christians.

      1. Maborlz Ez-Hari Avatar
        Maborlz Ez-Hari

        I think they will make better neighbors, Yallah show them the way. The world is a mess, and people are floating around like debris in a storm.

        1. Hind Abyad Avatar

          I do not wish Hillbillies as neighbours thank you.
          The mess, and “people are floating around like debris in a storm”, is truly well expressed vision..

          1. 5thDrawer Avatar

            ‘flotsam and jetsam’ of humanity …

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