Syria's Christian city: Seven years under fire at the Idlib frontline
Tom Westcott
On a warm summer evening, the town centre is full of young people (MEE/Katharine Cooper)
MHARDEH, Syria - Each night, the streets of the Christian town of Mhardeh teem with life.
Young people in trendy attire drink beer and smoke Shisha pipes, shyly eyeing up attractive passersby and posing for group selfies, while off-duty soldiers with their girlfriends sitting side-saddle whizz through the town on motorbikes.
“Look at this, even during the hardest part of the war, people are out. It’s a release, a way to forget what we are suffering because, when the mortars rain down on us, we have to hide in our basements,†says science undergraduate Samer Altouma.
One of four churches in Mhardeh (MEE/Katharine Cooper)
As people melt back to their homes and the music and chatter fades, explosions reverberate through the ground, as waiters pack away chairs and tables.
Read more at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-s-christian-city-idlib-frontline-275605521
Just posting in case, this area is in the news in the coming week. I know little about this.
