Inside Idlib

After more than 8 years of war, the conflict in Syria has reached a grinding stalemate, but one part of the country remains a crucible of violence and suffering.

Idlib, Syria’s final rebel-held enclave, is the last sanctuary for opponents of President Assad and the Syrian regime. The province is controlled by various militant factions. The strongest amongst them is Hayat Tahrir al Sham, an alliance of jihadist groups.

There are thousands of fighters in Idlib but it is also home to 3 million civilians including 1 million children, people from all over Syria – already displaced from Homs, Aleppo, Daraa and other places across the country – who have taken refuge there.

As a result of a sustained and brutal campaign of bombardment by the Syrian military and their Russian backers, thousands have been killed and injured yet in the midst of this constant onslaught, life goes on.

Channel 4 News remains committed to documenting the human cost of the violence in Idlib and telling the stories of those whose daily struggle to survive the indiscriminate attacks might otherwise go unreported.

This is the start of a series of films we have commissioned that aim to provide an insight into life and death in Syria’s last bastion of resistance and the government’s mission to destroy it.

(Producer: Kamal Kaddourah)

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Investigating airstrikes on hospitals in Syria The provinces of Aleppo and Idlib in the north-west of the Syria are the last remaining areas held by rebel forces. As the Assad regime pushes to reclaim them almost a million civilians have been displaced. Hundreds of thousands of people are still fleeing north to the Turkish border.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians on the move amid upsurge in violence Today, hundreds of thousands of Syrians are again fleeing an upsurge in violence and the ongoing attacks on healthcare facilities. Since December Russian-backed Syrian government forces have upped their assault on Idlib province, slowly chipping away at its southern edge. The offensive has pushed over half a million people out of their homes in the…

Pregnant women and newborn babies saved from Syrian maternity hospital In the first of our reports from the last battleground of Syria, we show the chaotic and emotional scenes as rescuers evacuate heavily pregnant women and newborn babies.

Syria: are civilians being deliberately targeted by pro-Assad forces? President Assad’s regime has always insisted it’s fighting a war against terrorists and jihadists, while denying that it’s deliberately aiming at civilians.

More than 400 airstrikes on Idlib launched by Russia and Syria, as hundreds of thousands try to flee Hundreds of airstrikes and barrel bombs have been launched by Syria and its Russian allies on rebel-held areas of Idlib and Aleppo in the last 24 hours.

Syria: The family followed by bombs We have an extraordinary story of survival from the village of Maaret Harma, just a few miles from the frontline.

Schools targeted in airstrikes in Syria’s besieged Idlib province While the eyes of the world have refocused to the north-eastern part of Syria, in the west, Idlib province is still under attack. The filmmaker is Fadi Al Halabi. Produced by Kamal Kaddourah and Helene Cacace.

Inside Idlib: Kids scavenging trash for food in Idlib, Syria Besieged Idlib is now controlled in large part by a coalition of jihadi groups and rebels. With more than four million people still trapped there, with limited access to food and medicines, the most vulnerable are the children. The filmmaker is Fadi Al Halabi. Produced by Kamal Kaddourah and Helene Cacace. Edited by Tim Bentham.

The jihadis of idlib: a militant state within a state Turkey’s invasion into the Kurdish held north isn’t the only ferociously contested space in Syria. Further West the province of Idlib remains another bastion of the rebellion against the Assad regime. But over half of Idlib is now controlled by a coalition of jihadi groups, many with strong links to Al Qaeda. Paraic O’Brien has…

The gravedigger of Idlib With Syria’s northeastern border becoming a warzone, as Turkish forces launch their offensive – rebel held Idlib is all too familiar with the reality of near-daily attacks by the Syrian regime and its Russian allies. Produced by Kamal Kaddourah and filmed by Fadi Al-Halabi.

84-year-old woman who spoke of living through five wars in Syria has passed away Filmed by Fadi Al Halabi. Produced by Kamal Kaddourah.

Inside Idlib: food used as weapon of war by Assad We investigate what appears to be a disturbing pattern of attacks on farmers and their crops in Idlib, Syria.

Inside Idlib: the Syrian family living in a cave Their homes and villages have been bombed to ruins: the refugee camps which might offer sanctuary are full. The filmmaker is Fadi Al Halabi and it was produced by Kamal Kaddourah.

Father desperately scrambles to reach stranded children after Syrian airstrike Now the latest reports from Syria’s rebel-held enclave of Idlib say ten people have been killed in airstrikes by Government forces today. Filmed by Fadi Al Halabi. Produced by Kamal Kaddourah and Michael French.

Syrian army closes in on rebel stronghold in Idlib province Syrian troops are said to be closing in on a key rebel stronghold in Idlib province after capturing five villages in the northwest.

Dozens killed in Syrian government attack in rebel-held Idlib An attack today on a market in Maarat al-Numaan is reported to have left at least 32 dead.

Inside Idlib: The extraordinary friendships formed by Syrians fleeing the frontlines Fleeing civilians from all over the country have been thrown together and usually have no-one else to depend on but each other. Filmed by Fadi Al Halabi. Produced by Kamal Kaddourah.

2019: Exclusive – Rescue workers in Syria apparently targeted by multiple airstrikes, investigation finds Footage obtained by Channel 4 News appears to show so-called ‘double-tap’ airstrike in Idlib province, with rescuers hit in follow-up attack.

Inside Idlib: How the province has become the final battle in the Syrian conflict Over the next few days we’ll be running a series of special reports from inside the Syrian province of Idlib, the last remaining rebel enclave opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.

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