March 11, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters cry after learning at least four comrades died during clashes with the government forces in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—AP
AP cameraman Ahmed Bahaddou and I sneaked into Syria from Turkey, traveling with the rebels’ Free Syrian Army. Our aim was to understand and cover the conflict in the country’s northwest region, as well as in the hard-hit Homs neighborhood of Bab Amr, under siege for weeks by government forces.
Almost as soon as we arrived, news broke of a massacre and the military victory of Bashar Assad’s forces in Homs. But after traveling in the country for about 10 days it became clear that the rebel stronghold of Idlib was likely to be the next source of news.
Saturday, March 10, was a horrifying day in Idlib. Ahmed and I had slept the night before in a hospital for security. The city was completely dark, making it impossible to drive in the city, and the sounds of the fighting could be heard everywhere.
After waking up that morning, we began documenting the chaos as dozens of civilians and fighters brought the wounded and dead to the hospital. We could hear that the fighting was very close, with the sound of bullets whizzing nearby. Assad’s forces were taking control of all the neighborhoods and it was clear they were not going to welcome the presence of journalists.
It was time to leave.
In the last light of the evening, we saw fighters celebrating the destruction of a tank, and we ran with them, trying to avoid the direct line of fire. A sudden big explosion that spewed a huge grey smoke over a group of wounded soldiers created a terrific scene that I quickly photographed.
After we ran back to the hospital I encountered some of the most moving images of the conflict: a group of rebel fighters weeping over their dead comrades. They may not be my best photographs, but I think they tell a lot about the situation in Syria.
We left Idlib that night, traveling again with the Free Syrian Army. After walking in the dark in complete silence through a passage, we then hiked more than 11 kilometers to avoid military checkpoints in hopes of reaching a friendly city.
Anything we suffered to tell the story was nothing compared with what the Syrian people have experienced in nearly a year of conflict: broken families. Human rights abuses. Children severely injured. More than 7,500 people dead. The cruel realities of a country with a dark future.
Rodrigo Abd is a photographer with the Associated Press. See more of his work here.
March 8, 2012. Ahmed, center, mourns his father Abdulaziz Abu Ahmed Khrer, who was killed by a Syrian Army sniper, during his funeral in Idlib, north Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 8, 2012. People carry the body of of Abdulaziz Abu Ahmed Khrer, killed by a Syrian Army sniper, during his funeral in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 8, 2012. Mourners attend the funeral for Abdulaziz Abu Ahmed Khrer, killed by a Syrian Army sniper, in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 8, 2012. A relative mourns for Mohammed Munir Zidani, 59, minutes after he was killed by a Syrian Army sniper near a checkpoint in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 8, 2012. A relative mourns for Mohammed Munir Zidani, 59, minutes after he was killed by a Syrian Army sniper near a check point in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 8, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters gather after swearing to the Koran to fight against government troops until the last soldier is alive in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 9, 2012. A woman weeps as she prays during an anti-government demonstration in Idlib, north Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. A family escapes from fierce fighting between Free Syrian Army fighters and government troops in Idlib, Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Syrian women and children take shelter from fierce fighting between the Free Syrian Army and government troops in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters take cover during fierce fighting against government troops in Idlib. Amid diplomatic efforts to stop the conflict, Syrian troops were pushing ahead with a new assault on the northern region of Idlib, one of the centers of the uprising against Assad's rule.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Injured men are carried to a hospital during fierce fighting between Free Syrian Army fighters and government troops in Idlib, Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. A Free Syrian Army fighter is treated by doctors after being injured during fighting against government troops in Idlib, Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Doctors try to save the life of a severely wounded Free Syrian Army fighter during fighting against government troops in Idlib, Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters console a comrade after an ambulance carried an injured friend to a hospital during fierce fighting against government troops in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters cry after learning at least four comrades died during clashes with the government forces in Idlib, north Syria. Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. The wife of Mohammed Halak slumps in a chair next to his body as she mourns the death of her husband.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. The wife of Mohammed Halak mourns after the man was killed by gunfire during fierce fighting between the Free Syrian Army and the government forces in Idlib, north Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. Syrian rebels take position during clashes with government forces in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. Syrian rebels plant a makeshift explosive device to destroy a Syrian Army tank during a day of heavy fighting with Syrian Army forces in Idlib. In the previous days, troops had encircled Idlib, and tank shells pounded the city from dawn until evening.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. Free Syrian Army fighters are seen amid smoke from tank shelling during a day of fierce fighting with the government forces in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. A man carries a boy who was severely wounded during heavy fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. A Free Syrian Army fighter calls for reinforcements as his group takes cover on a corner in Idlib, north Syria. Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. Syrian rebels carry the dead body of a comrade to a morgue after heavy fighting with Syrian government forces in Idlib, north Syria.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. Syria rebels pause for a moment in between fierce firefights with Syrian Army in the town of Idlib, north Syria. In the previous days, troops had encircled Idlib, and tank shells pounded the city from dawn until evening.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 11, 2012. A man tries to help a Syrian rebel after being wounded by fragments of an exploding shell in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Aida, 32, reacts as she recovers from severe injuries after the Syrian Army shelled her house in Idlib, north Syria.Rodridgo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Aida cries as she recovers from severe injuries after the Syrian Army shelled her house in Idlib. Aida's husband and two children were killed after their home was shelled.Rodrigo Abd—APMarch 10, 2012. Hana, 12, flashes the victory sign next to her sister Eva, 13, as they recover from severe injuries after the Syrian Army shelled their house in Idlib, north Syria. Their father and two siblings were killed after their home was shelled. Rodrigo Abd—AP
