The house of Fatma Ahmed in a small village near Til Temir has been hit by Turkish artillery shells. The mother of nine children now lives in a tent. She regards talk of a safe zone in northern Syria as mendacious.
Turkey and its Islamist proxies continue to commit war crimes in Northern and Eastern Syria. The population of the region is resisting them.
Fatma Ahmed comes from the village Um El Kêf near Til Temir. Her house was badly damaged during the Turkish artillery attacks. The family fled to the neighbouring village of Til Fêda. Fatma Ahmed now lives there with her nine children in a tent. She has returned to her village to look after her house to see the walls destroyed by shells.
Fatma Ahmed regards the debate about a safe zone and the protection of refugees as a big lie: "My house was bombed by the occupying forces. We had to flee. Now we live in a tent in the middle of winter. The states that speak of a safe zone' are telling lies. Our village is attacked every day. Without these attacks there would be no refugees. Many of our animals have been killed in the attacks. Residential areas are being targeted in order to drive people to flee. Where should we go now?"
Fatma Ahmed has not given up hope: "I will rebuild my house and live here as before. I built this house with great effort and lived in it for 25 years. It's a testament to my joy and sadness."
Inside the house, pictures of the Virgin Mary, an imam of the mosque and a sura of the Koran hang side by side on the wall. Fatma Ahmed explains: "The picture of Mary was given to me by Assyrian neighbours. We are all brothers and sisters here, there is no difference between us. We support each other."
