Syria: Cities in ruins, civilians in danger

13-05-2013 Photo gallery

These photos taken in April 2013 in the city of Aleppo and the town of Azaz show the scale of the disaster unfolding in Syria. Civilians who have not fled face a daily struggle for survival in the midst of the fighting and the rubble.

- The conflict in Syria has wreaked considerable destruction. This is the small town of Azaz, to the north-west of Aleppo, near the border with Turkey, on 23 April 2013.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00297
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- Azaz, 23 April 2013. Clearing the rubble from the ruins of a residential building destroyed in the fighting. Some 70,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict. Attacks against civilians and civilian property are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00296
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- Aleppo, 20 April 2013. Near the front line. Government and opposition forces are engaged in an intense battle for control of the city. The remaining civilians are in constant danger.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00285
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- Aleppo, 19 April 2013. A stall is open for business in a building damaged in the fighting. Civilians who have not fled the city have to try to get by despite the fighting.
  © ICRC / sy-e-00277
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- Aleppo, 19 April 2013. In the neighbourhood of Bustan Al-Qasr, near the front line, young Syrians run for shelter from snipers.
  © ICRC / sy-e-00278
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- Aleppo, 19 April 2013. Bus carcasses have been piled on top of each other as protection against the snipers.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00276
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- Azaz, 23 April 2013. A mosque damaged in the fighting. International humanitarian law states that precautions must be taken in military operations to spare civilian propery, including buildings dedicated to religion.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00295
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- Aleppo, 22 April 2013. Widespread damage to infrastructure hinders the authorities' ability to provide basic services, such as rubbish collection and water and electricity supplies. In Aleppo, the build-up of waste is a serious health risk.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00291
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- Aleppo, 21 April 2013. Inhabitants load their belongings onto a truck before fleeing the city. More than 4 million Syrians have fled to other parts of the country and 1.2 million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00288
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- On the outskirts of Azaz, 23 April 2013. A camp for displaced people near the Turkish border. There are not enough camps in Syria for the 4 million displaced people. Many families live in schools, mosques and makeshift shelters.
  © ICRC / T. Voeten / sy-e-00298
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Syria: Cities in ruins, civilians in danger

13-05-2013 Photo gallery

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