Month into Syria truce, war-weary Aleppo returns to life

By Khaled Suleiman

ALEPPO, Syria

Since 2011, Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo has been a battleground between Syrian regime forces and opposition groups.

The fighting has left a trail of destruction across the city and forced thousands of residents to flee their homes.

But a cessation-of-hostilities agreement between the regime and the opposition, which went into effect in late February, appears to have given residents of Syria’s largest city a respite.

With the partial cease-fire in effect, daily life has gradually returned to normal, with some displaced Aleppans starting to return to their homes.

"Streets and markets in Aleppo are slowly coming back to life," Aleppo resident Mustafa Abu Saleh told Anadolu Agency. "People are starting to buy and sell again without fear."

Across the city, merchants can be seen selling commodities in their stores and bazaars, while traffic, too, has returned to the streets.

In March 2011, the Syrian opposition began calling for an end of the four-decade-long rule of the Assad family.

The Assad regime responded to these demands by cracking down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity, pushing the Arab country into a vicious civil war.

According to a tally compiled by Anadolu Agency, more than 361,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict erupted.