On Monday, days after rebels launched a major offensive and took control of northern Syria’s major city from the government forces, an English teacher from Aleppo saw his father after years.
“He is 85, an old man. He never dreamed he would see me again before he died,” said Abdulkafi, who lives in opposition territory. Until the offensive, he had been unable to cross into regime-held Aleppo. The BBC’s video of the encounter shows the two men embracing and sobbing with emotion.
Abdulkafi is one of several people inside Aleppo who have spoken to the BBC since the city was taken by the armed rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allies from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
They told of being treated with dignity by HTS fighters and of increased supplies of electricity and water – but also of their fears at war returning to Aleppo and distrust that the former al-Qaeda-linked group’s professed moderation would last.
According to the UN, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the recent fighting.
Many of the interviewees requested anonymity for their personal safety. Due to the constraints of reporting independently from Syria, certain details of certain accounts could not be verified easily.
Many are afraid of resuming fighting in Aleppo, according to locals the BBC spoke to. Air strikes by the Syrian government and allied Russian forces have already killed dozens, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group.
One man told the BBC his main worry was the bombardment that he feared could hit the city at any point. He said he had stopped his family from going to the corner shop.
“We’re living in complete apprehension,” he said. He added that the air strikes that have hit the city over the past few days reminded him of earlier periods in the war.
Aleppo, most of which had been captured by rebels in the early years of the Syrian civil war, was retaken by Syrian government forces backed by Russia in 2016 after a grueling siege.
Since then, the city has mostly avoided direct warfare. The Syrian government claims credit for the ongoing reconstruction of the city, which was Syria’s commercial hub until the war.
But NGOs and independent journalists accuse the government of widespread human rights abuses there, including torture and killings of civilians and non-existent democratic rights.
Abdulkafi and his father’s reunion was joyful – but Abdulkafi said some of his relatives were afraid to be seen with him for fear of retribution were regime forces to retake the city once again.
“Nineteen Eighty-Four is applied in Aleppo. Assad’s image is on every building, street, on every corner. He is controlling their minds,” he said, referring to the George Orwell novel about totalitarianism.
HTS was founded under another name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011 as a direct subsidiary of al-Qaeda. The group has since separated from the organization and claims it has moderated its ideology.
Others in Aleppo remain afraid, though. One woman said people were “confused and scared” following the rebel takeover. She said she hadn’t ventured out of her house initially but later took short walks and drives with her family after hearing that rebels were not harassing civilians.
“Everywhere was fairly serene. But everyone seemed frightened and worried; you could see it through their faces and reactions. Nobody looked relaxed.”
