This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Published on August 20, 2019, a journey to explore what 'victory' looks like in a shattered Syria revealed a stark reality.
Um Ahmad, 28, and her sister sat on their stoop at dusk, surrounded by shattered buildings, their husbands missing and detained by pro-government forces in 2015.
As they spoke to journalists, they were accompanied by minders who grew increasingly aggressive, eventually leading Um Ahmad into the kitchen where raised voices could be heard.
Later, the information minister explained that the government's approach to journalists was different from that of the Americans, with everyone assuming they were spies.
During their departure from Syria, military-intelligence escorts accompanied them to the Lebanese border, but their car broke down multiple times, with the trunk popping open with comedic timing.
This unexpected moment of levity was a rare deviation from the scripted behavior of their escorts.
Even After 8 Years of War, Still the Best ¶
What does victory look like in a war-torn country like Syria? The answer is a grim one, with over half a million dead and 11 million displaced, cities reduced to rubble, and neighbors turned into ghosts.
