Syria 1st-Hand: Attempting to Live a Normal Life in Insurgent-Held Yabroud
Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 6:47
A wall in Yabroud: "Take off your shoes as Yabroud's sand is our blood"
The BBC posts the first-hand account of a resident of the insurgent-held city of Yabroud, north of Damascus:
Over the past month, rebel forces in Syria have enjoyed tactical successes which analysts say demonstrate their growing ability to challenge the government's military dominance.
The Russians --- who have been supportive of the Syrian government --- have publicly admitted that a rebel victory is possible in Syria, and are even discussing emergency evacuation plans for their nationals.
In some areas, central government police and military forces have withdrawn while activists say that local civil and military councils have been set up instead.
"Fadi", a local resident of the city of Yabroud, a suburb 80km (49.7miles) north of the capital Damascus, gives a snapshot of what life is like for ordinary people.
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I personally consider Yabroud to be an area free of government control. We have not seen government forces inside the city for almost a year now.
Bashar al-Assad's forces attempted to enter the city six months ago but the Free Syrian Army (FSA) held them back on the same day.
Government forces have since retreated to the edges of Yabrood and their efforts have been reduced to the regular air strikes they carry out once in a while. They seem to have given up. Perhaps we are not as strategic as other areas.
We have not suffered a lot compared to other cities in Syria. Total casualties here, over the past 18 months, are only around 40-50 people.
The city is currently run by two councils. One is military and is mainly concerned with holding back the regime's forces. The other is a civilian one and is responsible for securing health care and food supplies for residents.
If it were not for the air strikes, I would have said we live like people in any other normal city. There's no shortage of food here, for instance.
But prices have increased dramatically, especially fuel. A litre that used to cost 25 US cents two years ago now costs $1.20 (£0.75).
The rate of the air strikes has increased recently and this is making people nervous.
One strike was near my home but, fortunately, there were no casualties. People have got used to them now and so only occupy the bottom floors of buildings.
Apart from the air strikes, it is relatively safe here. The police on the streets have been replaced by a brigade that is attached to the military council. There are no curfews but most people stay indoors after 22:00.
Sometimes the electricity can be cut off for around four hours. Most people here are what we used to call the middle classes before the revolution and many of them can still afford to buy generators and the necessary fuel.
It is the same story with the internet and phone lines. It is a matter of luck when either of them is working. I consider myself lucky whenever I get the chance to speak to my brother who lives abroad.
But despite all the hardships people try to lead a normal life and support each other. We have Christians and Muslims living here. Yabrood is a historical city, in fact, it the home of the oldest church in Syria.
Christians in the city are about to celebrate Christmas. Although it is not the happy occasion it used to be and there won't be any decorations on the streets, we still make sure we celebrate it with them and send each other greetings.
Christians make up around a quarter of this city's population and any talk of sectarianism is far from the truth. It is the kind of warnings the regime like to propagate for its own advantage.
Yabrood's normal population is around 60,000 but we now have about 20,000 refugees from Homs and other areas living with us in the city. Their needs are well looked after by residents and the civilian ruling council.
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