• Menu
  • Menu
  • News
  • Subscribe now
    Digital subscription Print subscription
  • Logout
Digital subscription
Print subscription
Trending
UAE holidays 2021 Coronavirus Expo 2020 Find Jobs in the UAE IPL 2021
  • Latest News
  • UAE
    • Crime
    • Education
      • Young Editors
    • Environment
    • Government
    • Health
      • Better Health
      • Why Worry
    • Transport
    • Science
    • Ramadan
    • Weather
    • Reader Complaint
    • Ask the Law
    • Games
    • UAE's Hope Probe
  • Living In UAE
    • Visa+Immigration
    • Housing
    • Phone+Internet
    • Banking
    • Transport
    • Health
    • Education
    • Relocate
    • Ask Us
    • Safety+Security
  • UAE Success Stories
  • Special Reports
  • Gulf
  • Business
    • Banking
    • Aviation
    • Property
    • Energy
    • Analysis
    • Tourism
    • Markets
    • Retail
    • Company Releases
    • Games
  • Your Money
    • Saving and Investment
    • Budget Living
    • Taxation
    • Expert Columns
    • Community Tips
  • Food
    • Cooking and Cuisines
    • Guide to Cooking
  • Games
    • Daily Crossword
    • Weekend Crossword
    • Sudoku
    • Word Search
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy & Baby
    • Learning & Play
    • Child Health
    • For Mums & Dads
    • Ask Us
    • Games
  • World
    • Gulf
      • Bahrain
      • Kuwait
      • Oman
      • Qatar
      • Saudi
      • Yemen
      • Games
    • Mena
    • Europe
      • Brexit
    • Africa
    • Americas
      • US Presidential Elections 2020
    • Asia
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • Philippines
    • Oceania
    • Offbeat
    • Court and Crime
    • Coronavirus
    • Infographics
    • Games
  • DUNS100
  • Photos
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Eds
    • Letters
    • Off the Cuff
    • Cartoons
    • From the Editors
  • Sport
    • UAE Sport
    • Horse Racing
      • Dubai World Cup
    • Cricket
      • IPL
        • Chennai
        • Delhi
        • Punjab
        • Kolkata
        • Mumbai
        • Rajasthan
        • Bangalore
        • Hyderabad
        • Schedule
        • Live Scores
        • Point Table
        • Top Scorers
      • ICC
    • Football
    • Motorsport
    • Tennis
      • Dubai Duty Free Tennis 2020
    • Golf
    • Rugby
  • Entertainment
    • Hollywood
    • Bollywood
    • Pakistani Cinema
    • Pinoy Celebs
    • South Indian
    • Arab Celebs
    • Music
    • TV
    • Books
    • Theatre
    • Arts+Culture
  • Expo 2020
    • News
    • Photos
    • Pavilions
    • Visit the Expo
    • Experience the UAE
    • Entertainment
    • Videos
  • Going Out
    • Movie Reviews
    • Society
  • Auto
    • News
    • Test Drives
    • Car Culture
    • Auto Care
  • Lifestyle
    • Health+Fitness
      • Beating Breast Cancer
    • Family
    • Community
      • India
      • Pakistan
      • #Pinoy
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Weekend Review
  • GN Reach
  • Jobs
  • Tech
    • Electronics
      • Gitex Shopper
    • Gaming
    • Trends
    • Fin-Tech
    • Media
  • How To
    • Employment
      • Jobs
    • Passports & Visas
    • Your Money
    • Legal
  • Videos
    • How-To
    • Best Of Bollywood
    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Business
    • Sport
    • #Pinoy
    • Community
    • Travel
    • Technology
  • GN Focus
  • Bayat Chapters
  • Travel
    • Destinations
    • Hotels
  • Gold-Forex
  • Notifications
  • Gold/Forex
  • Prayer Times
  • Cinema Listing
  • About Gulf News
  • Contact us
  • Work with us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Gulf News store
  • Advertise with us
  • Reach by GN
  • GN Focus
  • Gulf News epaper
  • Sitemap
  • Have your say
  • © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    Photos: Syrian family sifts through old ammunition for a living

    Photos

    Login / Sign Up
    Logout
    Friday, April 23, 2021
    Gold / Forex

    Photos News

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Readers' Photos
    • Lifestyle
    • Business
    • Sports
    All Sections

    Photos: Syrian family sifts through old ammunition for a living

    Jneid and his team dismantle any unexploded ammunition where they find it


    Published:  March 12, 2021 13:18 AFP  and  Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor

    1 of 12
    Syria ammunitions galler
    Maaret Msrin, Syria: In a scrapyard in northwest Syria, nine-year-old Malik lifts and drops neutralised mortar shells into a neat pile to help his family eke out a living after fleeing war. Metres away, a younger child walks unsteadily, an empty missile in his arms, on his way to throw it on a heap of scrap metal. Image Credit: AFP
    2 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    On a break, Malik and two other children rest inside a rusty old truck, clutching empty mortar shells in their hands. Malik's father Hassan Jneid, 37, runs the scrapyard in Syria's last major rebel bastion of Idlib with his brothers. "Weapons of war that used to bombard people have now become a means to make a living," said the father of four near the town of Maaret Misrin in Idlib province. Image Credit: AFP
    3 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    More than four years ago, Jneid, his brothers and their families came to the area after they were forced to flee regime bombardment on their hometown of Latamneh in Hama province further south. Before they fled, Jneid had long worked collecting and selling scrap metal - mostly corrugated iron sheets, rusting old cars, and water tankers. Image Credit: AFP
    4 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    But when he and his extended family set up a new scrapyard in Maaret Misrin, he found himself adding a new item to his inventory list. The junkyard soon became a harbour for ammunition left behind by endless rounds of fighting in the region between regime forces and their jihadist-led rebel opponents. Image Credit: AFP
    5 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    "When I came here I found a new addition to the trade - rockets fired by the regime that had not yet exploded," said Jneid. Fifteen adults and children now work in the yard, but adults take on the more dangerous jobs, including dismantling unspent weapons, he said. Sometimes people in the area call up after finding unexploded ordnance near their homes because they want to sell them Image Credit: AFP
    6 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    But the family also sometimes heads out to areas from which they know opposition fighters have bombarded regime fighters to pick up empty shells or machine-gun bullets. Jneid said his team dismantle any unexploded ammunition where they find it, extracting any explosive, before transporting it safely back to the yard to sell. Image Credit: AFP
    7 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    "We get rid of the danger first, then we sell the metal on to manufacturers," he said. "Some is used to make heaters, while some more is taken on to be melted down to make rebar for construction." Quarries buy up the extracted explosive to blow up rocks, he said. Image Credit: AFP
    8 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    Over the years, repeated regime military campaigns have chipped away at the surrounding Idlib region held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. But a ceasefire since March 2020 has largely held, offering respite to the region's some 2.9 million inhabitants, of whom two thirds have been displaced from other parts of the country. Image Credit: AFP
    9 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    Abu Ahmed, another worker at the yard, said the workload was highest during the fighting. "There's loads of work during military campaigns, then less when it calms down," said the former army officer. The United Nations says landmines, explosive remnants of war, and improvised explosive devices are still widespread in Syria, and put the lives of millions of people at risk. Image Credit: AFP
    10 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    It says children who pick up dangerous objects, agricultural workers who dig up their land, and people on the move after being displaced by war are particularly vulnerable. Image Credit: AFP
    11 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    In the yard, Jneid's nephew, 10-year-old Abdelkarim, held up a selection of empty shells. "We play between the cars, and we also sift through the shells," he said. He said he and his cousins wanted to help, even if they were "scared one could blow up". Image Credit: AFP
    12 of 12
    Syria ammunitions gallery
    As Syria's war enters its 11th year, Abdelkarim is one of around 2.4 million children out of school in the war-torn country, according to the United Nations. But the young boy said he is acquiring knowledge of a different kind. "We've become able to tell apart rockets, mortar shells, machine-gun bullets and cluster bombs," he said. "We get all sorts here." Image Credit: AFP

    Latest In

    • Leicester win to stay clear in top four race

      10 minutes ago

    • Ibrahimovic agrees contract extension with AC Milan

      19 minutes ago

    • Saudi-led coalition intercepts 2 Houthi drones


    • Iraq: Rockets hit near Baghdad international airport


    • COVID-19: Canada bans flights from India, Pakistan


    Go back to top
    Network links:
    • Baby & Child
    • Friday
    • Inside Out
    • Watch Time
    • Wheels
    • getthat
    • GN Tech
    • Jobs
    • About Gulf News
    • Contact us
    • Work with us
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Gulf News store
    • Advertise with us
    • Reach by GN
    • GN Focus
    • Gulf News epaper
    • Sitemap
    • Have your say
    Find us on Social
    © Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2021. All rights reserved.
    This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
    Share on Facebook
    Share on Twitter
    Share on Whatsapp
    Share on Mail
    Share on LinkedIn
    Close
    Gulf News

    Get Breaking News Alerts From Gulf News

    We’ll send you latest news updates through the day. You can manage them any time by clicking on the notification icon.

    Subscribe No Thanks
    Continue reading Gulf News
    Dear Reader, please register to read gulfnews.com

    Dear Reader,

    This section is about Living in UAE and essential information you cannot live without.

    Register to read and get full access to gulfnews.com

    Create your account
    or login if you already have one
    First name is required.
    Last name is required.
    Please enter a valid email address.
    Password should have minimum 7 characters with at least one letter and number
    Passwords do not match

    By clicking below to sign up, you're agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

    Login your account
    New to Gulf News? Sign up now
    Please enter your email address.
    Please enter your password.

    Forgot password

    or