Published TUESDAY November 26, 2024: 'Hunter-Killer' by ZUMA Partner agency dpa photo-journalist Anas Alkharboutli: The White Helmets, a Syrian-led humanitarian group supporting communities in areas affected by the war in Syria, are documenting a new pattern of attacks using suicide drones in northwest of the country. Since early 2024, there have been 41 attacks using suicide drones, all originate from areas controlled by Syrian regime forces. Many of the attacks targeted civilians, with three killed and 18 injured, including a woman and four children. The impact of the violence is not limited to direct loss of life but also threatens the security livelihoods of thousands of families. The resilience of communities in northwest Syria has already been devastated by thirteen years of war and the 2023 earthquakes. New threats, like suicide drones, compound the psychological trauma and the suffering of the Syrian people. Welcome to 'Hunter-Killer'
© zReportage.com Issue #965 Story of the Week: Published TUESDAY November 26, 2024: 'Hunter-Killer' by ZUMA Partner agency dpa photo-journalist Anas Alkharboutli: The White Helmets, a Syrian-led humanitarian group supporting communities in areas affected by the war in Syria, are documenting a new pattern of attacks using suicide drones in northwest of the country. Since early 2024, there have been 41 attacks using suicide drones, all originate from areas controlled by Syrian regime forces. Many of the attacks targeted civilians, with three killed and 18 injured, including a woman and four children. The impact of the violence is not limited to direct loss of life but also threatens the security livelihoods of thousands of families. The resilience of communities in northwest Syria has already been devastated by thirteen years of war and the 2023 earthquakes. New threats, like suicide drones, compound the psychological trauma and the suffering of the Syrian people. Welcome to 'Hunter-Killer'
9-year-old SAMER HAMOUSH, who was injured when an FPV drone belonging to the Syrian regime targeted school students as they were returning to their homes. Four other students were also injured in the town of Abzmo, located in the southern countryside of Aleppo. A new pattern of attacks by regime forces using suicide drones against civilians in northwest Syria has emerged.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
9-year-old MAREM ZAZOU undergoing treatment in intensive care after being badly injured by an First Person View (FPV) drone belonging to the Syrian regime, which targeted school students while they were returning home. Four other students were also injured in the attack in the town of Abzmo, in the southern countryside of Aleppo.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
ISMAIL AL-RIYA (C) standing with his friends to display the First Person View (FPV) drones they were able to shoot down and dismantle. He and his friends take turns daily to protect civilians from the danger of FPV drones. They have been able to shoot down six drones so far in the Idlib countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
9-year-old SAMER HAMOUSH, who was injured on his back when an FPV drone belonging to the Syrian regime targeted school students as they were returning to their homes. Four other students were also injured in the town of Abzmo, located in the southern countryside of Aleppo.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
Local school children walking in the streets as they return to their homes in the town of Abzmo, located in the Aleppo countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
Local resident AHMED HAMOUSH carrying a hunting weapon he will use to protect himself and his family. Hunting weapons have become essential for residents of areas near the frontlines in the western Aleppo countryside to protect themselves from FPV drones while moving.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
ISMAIL AL-RIYA showing a picture on a mobile phone of an Syrian military FPV drone loaded with live ammunition before it was dismantled.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
School children walking in the streets past war damaged building's while returning to their homes in the town of Al-Nayrab in the Idlib countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
ISMAIL AL-RIYA holds a First Person View (FPV) weaponized drone that was recently shot down and dismantled in the Idlib countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
A local Syrian man standing next to his damaged car after it was targeted by a First Person View (FPV) drone belonging to the Syrian regime in the western countryside of Aleppo.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
School children participating in an activity outside a house converted into a kindergarten in the town of Al-Nayrab in the Idlib countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
EZZA MOHAMMED, 30, a teacher, showing a video of an FPV drone targeting an area near the kindergarten she runs in the town of Al-Nayrab in the Idlib countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
A group of civilian volunteers carrying hunting rifles ready to protect a residents shopping at a popular market from possible First Person View (FPV) drone attacks in the western Aleppo countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
School children participating in a class inside a house converted into a kindergarten classroom in the town of Al-Nayrab in Idlib.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
A Syrian barber takes care of customers with a hunting weapon nearby to protect his salon due to the increase in drone attacks in the western countryside of Aleppo.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
A resident standing next to his car, holding a hunting rifle ready to protect himself due to the increasing First Person View (FPV) drone attacks in the western countryside of Aleppo.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
A Syrian man riding a motorcycle with a hunting rifle on his back ready to protect himself, due to the increasing FPV drone attacks in the western countryside of Aleppo.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press
School children walking in the streets past war damaged buildings while returning to their homes in the town of Al-Nayrab in the Idlib countryside.
© Anas Alkharboutli/dpa via ZUMA Press