WorldIDLIB, Syria (Reuters) - Hudhayfa al-Shahad strapped a colourful paper cup filled with cotton and charcoal to a child’s face and tightened a plastic bag around his head: an improvised gas mask if chemicals once again fall on Syria’s Idlib. Civilians in Syria’s last major stronghold of active opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule are preparing food and digging shelters ahead of an expected army offensive. They are also putting their faith in neighbouring Turkey’s diplomacy to spare them from military action, which could become a humanitarian disaster. Idlib is often described as the “last refuge” for rebels and internally displaced civilians, and any offensive threatens new displacement and human misery. There is no place left after Idlib,” said Ahmed al-Shahad.

Source: Sunday Times September 06, 2018 10:41 UTC