IDLIB, Syria
Syrian children taking shelter in caves with their families to protect themselves from Assad regime attacks are growing up without the benefit of daylight, fresh air, or playing games.
The Assad regime and its supporters are ignoring international agreements which were reached to protect some 4 million civilians in Idlib, northwestern Syria.
Cease-fires reached in Idlib since fall 2018, spearheaded by Turkey, have been plagued by the attacks of the Assad regime and its allies, flouting the cease-fire rules.
Civilians targeted in Idlib since the civil war erupted took shelter in caves in order to survive.
Although this has not protected them from heavy airstrikes, it does protect them from regime artillery fire.
Using this method, they have chosen darkness in order to stay alive.
This situation has a huge effect on children. Children are suffering from physical deficiencies and mental disorders due to a lack of sunshine, fresh air, and the chance to socialize.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency in his cave, Muhammed Hudeyri, who has five children, said he lost two of his sons in artillery attacks and in an airstrike.
After two attacks which wounded his two sons and destroyed his home, they had to resort to taking shelter in a cave.
Saying they went into a cave to “protect my family,” he added: “We live here. They carry out artillery, mortar and ground attacks more than 50 times a day. I can’t live anywhere else. I can’t trust anyone. I tried to live in camps but couldn’t stand it there. There are no jobs. You may die of starvation.”
‘This cave could be our grave’
Hudeyri said when they hear sounds from an explosion, they flee into the caves.
“The caves can protect us from bullets or artillery attacks but they can’t protect us from bombardment by Russian jets. My neighbors died in their caves and they were buried there. This cave could become my family’s grave,” he added.
Stating that children want to play outside, Hudeyri said: “The kid in my arms wants to play outside but once he hears the sound of an attack he runs back into the cave. He has no friends to play with.
"He should have spoken by now but he has a speaking deficiency. He lives 13 hours a day inside the cave. Is this his fault?”
Muhammed Hudeyri
Mustafa Hadari, 42, also said they had to take shelter in a cave after regime attacks destroyed their homes.
“My life is here. I haven’t gone to camps, I won’t,” he said.
“I lost a daughter in a drone attack. My wife was wounded. The cave can protect us from artillery and mortar attacks but can’t protect from airstrikes.”
Rene Hadari, a 7-year-old girl, said that her mother doesn’t let her go out due to the threat of bombardment.
“My friends are far away from here. I only have a cousin in the cave and I can only play with him,” she said.
Hayyan Hattab, just 6 years old, said everyone left the village due to bombardment where he used to live.
“I study in the cave because schools are suspended due to attacks. When the situation gets back to normal I can play with my friends,” he said.
Sara Hattab, 7 years old, also said she used to play with her friends, but now her mother does not allow her to go out of the cave.
Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011, when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million remain displaced, according to UN estimates.
Idlib, which is home to over 3 million people and falls in a de-escalation zone, has been the subject of multiple cease-fire agreements over the years but the deals have been frequently violated by Syrian regime forces and their allies.
