Earlier this week, US officials said they'd concluded Russian strikes were directly targeting opposition groups vetted, funded and trained by the CIA. But perhaps a clearer indication of Moscow's interests in rebel areas is found in one of its first targets last week — Kafranbel.
Five years into the country's civil war, the tiny, famous protest city is being bombed by Russian warplanes.
Picture this: a group of solemn-faced Syrians holding a banner with a quip about the latest world headline written in boxy scroll. Below the message, a date, and familiar block letters: "The Syrian revolution, from Kafranbel."
If you've followed Syria's conflict in the last few years, the scene probably sounds familiar. Kafranbel is located in northwestern Syria's Idlib province, where many areas have recently come under Islamist control. But the city itself has been a symbol of the Syria's opposition since 2011. Hitting topics spanning Caitlyn Jenner to September 11, near-daily banners connect international news to political commentary about the Syrian conflict.
Back when anti-government protests in cities across the country sparked a violent crackdown from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government forces in 2011, Kafranbel was at the center. It was one of the first areas to fall under control of the Free Syrian Army during the conflict's first year, shortly after that it began uploading the banners.
These days things are a lot more complicated around the city— even before Russian warplanes arrived, the area surrounding it had Islamist elements, FSA brigades and Syrian government bombings to boot.
But as Russia ups the ante in Syria and US officials mull the next move, Kafranbel is responding in the way it always has. Have a look at some of the most recent messages from the city below.
#Syria #Kafranbel demonstration against #Assad and the #Russian occupation 2015/10/03 pic.twitter.com/TFzbq1Lj8Q
— Kafranbel English (@kafrev) October 3, 2015
#Syria #Kafranbel demonstration against #Assad and the #Russian occupation 2015/10/03 pic.twitter.com/NO2oDdNJTy
— Kafranbel English (@kafrev) October 3, 2015
#Syria #Kafranbel demonstration against #Assad, the #Russian occupation 2015/10/03 pic.twitter.com/1xVDEGwt3D
— Kafranbel English (@kafrev) October 3, 2015
