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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/dec/23/syria-conflict-escalates-civil-war
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Syrian conflict escalates into civil war | Syrian conflict escalates into civil war |
| (7 days later) | |
| I was in Aleppo in August. I had been there some days and met Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, the Iraqi journalist working for the Guardian. He introduced me to some fighters from the countryside. I was only with them for a couple of hours on this occasion, although I followed them on other days. The army had been shelling heavily and we were surrounded, and there were machine guns. These guys only had small arms: rifles mostly, the occasional RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] and sniper rifles. They were motivated, fairly religious and they were nice to me, although we couldn't understand each other. They really wanted to fight and defend their position. | I was in Aleppo in August. I had been there some days and met Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, the Iraqi journalist working for the Guardian. He introduced me to some fighters from the countryside. I was only with them for a couple of hours on this occasion, although I followed them on other days. The army had been shelling heavily and we were surrounded, and there were machine guns. These guys only had small arms: rifles mostly, the occasional RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] and sniper rifles. They were motivated, fairly religious and they were nice to me, although we couldn't understand each other. They really wanted to fight and defend their position. |
| I saw some of the fighters run into a building so I just followed them. The place was five or six storeys high – nothing special, typical of the Middle East. I had heard that a couple of Free Syrian soldiers had been killed there that day, although I didn't see that. As I followed the fighters, I didn't know what they were planning to do and then I saw this room and they were setting up a sniper position, and they fired two shots from there. There were some other rooms in the same building destroyed by shells, which is why you can see the dust around about. I don't know what was on the other side – I couldn't see – but there were definitely Syrian army positions. | I saw some of the fighters run into a building so I just followed them. The place was five or six storeys high – nothing special, typical of the Middle East. I had heard that a couple of Free Syrian soldiers had been killed there that day, although I didn't see that. As I followed the fighters, I didn't know what they were planning to do and then I saw this room and they were setting up a sniper position, and they fired two shots from there. There were some other rooms in the same building destroyed by shells, which is why you can see the dust around about. I don't know what was on the other side – I couldn't see – but there were definitely Syrian army positions. |
| I started on a local paper in Belgrade in 1991 covering the conflict in Croatia and Bosnia, and have covered Iraq [Tomasevic took a famous picture of Saddam's statue being pulled down], Libya, Sudan, Pakistan and recently Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Maybe Syria is one of the more dangerous places, although every place is dangerous. We were very close to the Syrian army, hiding. And when shells hit a bare wall, the impact is totally different from, say, Libya, when the shell hits the sand. | I started on a local paper in Belgrade in 1991 covering the conflict in Croatia and Bosnia, and have covered Iraq [Tomasevic took a famous picture of Saddam's statue being pulled down], Libya, Sudan, Pakistan and recently Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Maybe Syria is one of the more dangerous places, although every place is dangerous. We were very close to the Syrian army, hiding. And when shells hit a bare wall, the impact is totally different from, say, Libya, when the shell hits the sand. |
| Another day, I was with a few guys from the same group and they went to recover the bodies of their friends. I followed them but we were separated and after half an hour they were hammered by Syrian army guys. A couple of them were seriously injured and some were dead as well. | Another day, I was with a few guys from the same group and they went to recover the bodies of their friends. I followed them but we were separated and after half an hour they were hammered by Syrian army guys. A couple of them were seriously injured and some were dead as well. |
| I don't suffer from deeper feelings until after I leave – I have to do my job, it's what I do – but Syria is very sad. It's a civil war. I am from Serbia and so I can understand that pretty well. | I don't suffer from deeper feelings until after I leave – I have to do my job, it's what I do – but Syria is very sad. It's a civil war. I am from Serbia and so I can understand that pretty well. |
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