Villages between Tal Tamr, Zirghan struggle to recover after war

Along the road extending north from the city of Tal Tamr toward Zirghan in the Jazira Canton, scattered villages on both sides of the road appear as vast areas of devastation. Homes have been reduced to ruins, while wild plants spread through what remains of alleys and abandoned houses left deserted for years due to indiscriminate shelling and repeated attacks by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries.

Following the recent agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the interim Syrian government, which included a clause concerning the return of displaced people to their areas, some residents have gradually started returning to their villages despite the severe destruction caused during years of displacement since late 2019.

In the village of Qubur al-Qarajina, north of Tal Tamr, several returning families continue to inspect their destroyed homes and begin simple restoration attempts by reusing remaining construction materials to build small rooms that can provide minimum shelter.

Among them is the family of Turki Ali al-Wajri, who recently returned to the village. They walk among the ruins of their destroyed mud house, examining what remains. Nearby, family members sit on the remains of their cement house, of which only scattered stones are left, in a scene shared by dozens of homes turned into rubble by years of war.

Standing in front of his destroyed home, Turki Ali al-Wajri says:

“For seven years we have been displaced from our villages and homes, and now almost nothing remains. We returned today and are trying to rebuild, even if only one room that can shelter us amid this destruction, hoping that later we can restore life to our village and homes.”

He adds:

“The entire village is destroyed, and our agricultural lands lie behind the dividing barrier with areas controlled by the Turkish occupation. They are filled with mines, and we cannot reach them to cultivate our crops.”

Al-Wajri owns two houses, one built of mud bricks and the other of cement. The cement house was completely destroyed, while only fragile walls remain of the mud house, reflecting the scale of bombardment the village endured.

In an attempt to rebuild, al-Wajri is extracting reusable cement blocks from the rubble to use again in constructing a new room, amid soaring construction material prices.

He points out that all villages located along the Tal Tamr–Zirghan front line share a similar reality of massive destruction, and that restoring life to them will require many years of work and reconstruction. Despite this, residents remain determined to return and stay on their land after years of displacement.

At the end of his remarks, al-Wajri called for necessary support and contributions toward rebuilding damaged homes to help residents regain at least a minimum level of stability and dignified living.

ANHA