Six days ago, representatives of the Syrian Arab Army announced the capture of a settlement that was awarded the title of “the last stronghold of ISIS in Syria,” that is, Abu Kamal. This small city is of great importance within the framework of the foreign policy confrontation in Syria.

The information about the capture of the city was also confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. But this was followed by reports that ISIS militants allegedly recaptured Abu Kamal.

Within 24 hours on Frunzenskaya Embankment these reports were categorically denied. After which a number of Western publications stated that there was no talk of capturing the city by anyone yet - positional battles continued.

This story is a clear illustration of how harmful Eastern optimism can be in a difficult situation.

The current situation in Abu Kamal, Mayadin and generally along the Euphrates to the Iraqi border leads to the classic debate about the glass - is it half full or is it half empty? Government troops bypassed the long-suffering settlement from the west and south (from the desert) and in fact cut off its supply from Iraq. They partially entered the city, which was badly destroyed, completely mined and riddled with underground passages.

If you look at the map, the northern part of the city, where the jihadists are now settled, looks surrounded. In fact, ISIS members communicate with their peers through the Euphrates, and underground communications have turned street battles into a “mole hunt”: you just destroyed them in front of you, and they crawled out of the ground behind you.

Since November 10, the front in Abu Kamal has been constantly and chaotically moving. Photographic documents from the central part of the city, like satellite images, are already out of date at the time of shooting. And it is simply pointless to determine any “percentage of control” over the central part.

Damascus extremely optimistically set 48 hours to clear Abu Kamal. Twice as much time has passed, but the directive has not changed. Moreover, now it is equally optimistically supported by the Russian Ministry of Defense, which is why it looks more realistic.

Two columns of reinforcements have approached the city, and around the northern part of Abu Kamal a concentration of a large number of rocket launchers and cannon artillery is visible, which will most likely support a new offensive on the northern quarters. This will not last long, the main thing is not to again organize an eastern drama theater with loud statements about “full control” and “the last stronghold.” In the end, this is not a philosophical dilemma about a glass, but a question of prestige and an objective assessment of the situation. Moreover, nothing critical or even simply dangerous is happening in the city. Even the general pace of the offensive is generally maintained. You just need to be so imbued with the “spirit of the East” that you get ahead of events with headlines.

In parallel, another group of government troops with elite Tigers at the forefront of the attack is quickly moving from Mayadin to the southeast, occupying villages along the Euphrates. It is now separated from Abu Kamal by 30–35 kilometers, and over the past 24 hours the same “Tigers” have advanced about 20 kilometers.

At the same time, both SAA groups have an obvious weak side - an open western flank facing the desert, from where they are periodically disturbed by raids by “carts” and suicide bombers. The "Tigers" simply bypass some fortified settlements near the river right through the desert, using their total advantage in armored vehicles. They may well reach the northern part of the city in about a day, but the surrounded jihadists still retain the opportunity to communicate with their brothers in mind on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. The Kurds on the opposite side have stopped, having captured the oil fields, and do not show any desire to storm “their” bank of the Euphrates.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has already begun demining that part of Abu Kamal that is not threatened by any unexpected mine. This is a good sign. Demining begins only when the sappers are no longer threatened from the outside and nothing distracts them from their work.

As for information about the ISIS counterattack and the return of Abu Kamal to the group’s control, it initially came from the well-known London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). That is, from a specialist in informational injections of anti-Assad and anti-Russian propaganda.

Then for some reason it was circulated by the Persians through the Fars agency, but this happens often with local propaganda. Iran has sovereign (and often mysterious and outwardly illogical) ideas about military truth and state interests. In particular, for almost the entire war they have been carrying out the practice of “information boost” not even to Damascus, but immediately to Moscow.

In the Persian media, Russia is regularly accused of “low rates of attack,” “wrong choice of directions,” and sometimes even “agreeing with the United States.” In part, this is simply national propaganda, in which the main role in the victory over ISIS and other jihadists is attributed to Iranian volunteers, the Guardian Corps and Hezbollah (and the Syrians and the Russians who visit them allegedly drink coffee on the veranda throughout the war).

In addition, Iran reacts especially painfully to a slowdown in the pace of the offensive in those areas in which it is vitally interested. And now the Persians can’t wait for the moment when the SAA, together with Iranian units, finally reaches the Iraqi border. So, whenever possible, information coming from Iranian sources should be treated critically.

*organization is banned in the Russian Federation

On Saturday morning, news spread that the Islamic State terrorist organization had regained control ( prohibited in the Russian Federation - approx. edit.) over the city of Abu Kamal, despite the fact that on Thursday government forces announced they had regained control of the entire city. However, the message about government control over the city was only a statement to the media. Airstrikes and artillery shelling continue in the city, which has already led to dozens of civilian deaths. Al Modon newspaper from the very beginning denied the entry of the Syrian army into the city and confirmed that it is still under the control of ISIS.

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, consisting of Force 313, the Islamic Resistance Movement of Iraq and Hezbollah, entered the Syrian city of Abu Kamal a few days ago from the city of Al-Qaim, which is located near the Syrian-Iraqi border. after defeating ISIS. Soldiers of the Popular Mobilization Forces met with the government army in the southern part of the city of Abu Kamal.

The “meeting” is a “slap in the face” to armed opposition groups in the Syrian desert who were preparing to strike in the Al-Waar area, just a few kilometers from the military base, in an attempt to advance to Abu Kamal under American auspices.

An Al Modon source said that a few days ago, opposition groups invited the American side to advance into the Al-Waar area, but the United States did not play any role in the military operation, despite the assertion of its military supporters that they did not allow the presence of Iranian militias in the border area. The source added that the United States is sticking to its policy, limited by recent agreements with Russia known as the “cake on the banks of the Euphrates.”

Context

The problem between the Syrians and Russia

Madar Al Youm 08.11.2017

Even the forces of darkness recognize the victory of the Syrian army

Manar 03.11.2017

Who will restore Syria?

Dagsavisen 03.11.2017 “The armed opposition groups in the Syrian desert are puzzled by what happened today as a result of the weakness of the leadership, their short-sightedness and dependence on politics,” the source said, blaming the opposition groups for what happened. He added that Syria's new project and the growing number of factions killed hopes of joining Abu Kamal when they refused to contribute to the formation of a real military force. The failure began in early 2017.

The source noted that the recent consultations and meetings are just an attempt by the United States to disclaim responsibility for what happened. This is not about the deprivation of a strategically important area, but about the opening of the Tehran-Beirut road.

In addition, he said that what happens depends on President Trump's vision and his final plan. Syrian groups got lost in numerous labyrinths due to negotiations with various parties, including Russia.

According to the same source, opposition groups have no choice but to wait for a new American project that promises to restructure them according to a new vision. It could lead to the implementation of decisions made at the Amman talks in 2013, which included a promise that Iranian militias would be the next target after terrorist organizations.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

Detailed map of Abu Kamal Abu Kamal in Russian. Satellite map of the city of Abu Kamal Abu Kamal in Syria. Where is the city of Abu Kamal Abu Kamal on the map:

Study the schematic map or switch to the satellite map in the lower left corner. Schematic map– city plan with street names and house numbers in Russian. The schematic map shows attractions and tourist sites, the location of train stations, shops, restaurants and shopping centers, and a map of the city's roads. Satellite map will allow you to view satellite photographs of the city thanks to images from the Google Maps service.

You can zoom in on the online map, scaling it to streets and house numbers. To change the scale, use the “+” (zoom in) and “-” (zoom out) icons located in the lower right corner of the map. You can also zoom in or out on the map using the mouse wheel. The left mouse button zooms in on the map, the right mouse button zooms out. You can use the mouse to move the interactive map in all directions by using the left mouse button to grab any place on the map.

Interactive map is a very convenient and modern guide for exploring the city, its districts and attractions, hotels, places of recreation and entertainment. The online map on the website can become an indispensable assistant for you in your independent travel. Interactive map provided by Google Maps.

US anti-terrorism coalition spokesman Ryan Dillon said the Washington-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces are preparing to attack the city of Abu Kamal in southeastern Syria. According to him, the offensive will unfold as soon as the pro-American Kurds manage to gain a foothold in the area of ​​the previously reclaimed largest Syrian oil field, Al-Omar.

"And then (we must. - RT) prepare for an attack on Abu Kamal, where we believe the bulk of the IS leadership is now located,” Dillon said.

Previously, the new capital of the “Islamic State” was called the city of Al-Mayadeen, which was recently taken by units of the Syrian Arab Army with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Abu Kamal is located downstream of the Euphrates, it is practically the last Syrian city on this river, to the south is Iraq.

“Abu Kamal is the last major settlement under the control of IS* after the fall of Deir ez-Zor and the capture of Al-Mayadin,” Vyacheslav Matuzov, president of the Society for Friendship and Business Cooperation with Arab Countries, told RT. “In my opinion, this offensive should put an end to it, and then the war with ISIS will take on the character of clearing out desert areas.”

It is significant that the United States is talking about its intention to recapture Abu Kamal from terrorists, although other cities located much closer to the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces are still under IS control: Al-Qurayya, Al-Ashara, Abu Hammam, Kharaij, Hajin, Ash -Shafa. Moreover, the Kurds have been moving towards Abu Kamal through the desert for the last week, avoiding the densely populated Euphrates Valley, where they would have to liberate settlements captured by terrorists. Now SDF is separated from the city by only 50 km of desert.

Syrian troops are also advancing towards Abu Kamal, but they are coming from two directions: one group descends south along the Euphrates Valley, and the second comes through the desert from the east of Homs province. Now it is located 70 km from the city.

"Devil's Triangle"

Like other parts of Deir ez-Zor province, there is oil in the Abu Kamal area. But not only this circumstance attracts Americans and Syrians there. The fact is that this settlement is important from the point of view of control over the Syrian border.

“There is a chance to crush this umbilical cord through which Iranian aid flows from Iraq to Syria, and make the Iranian dream of a Shiite crescent to the Mediterranean less relevant,” Sergei Balmasov, an expert at the Middle East Institute, told RT about the US motivation.

As the Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva notes, control over the “Devil’s Triangle” - the territory between the settlements of Resafa (in northern Syria, near Raqqa), At-Tanf and Abu Kamal - is of strategic importance. Each point is the intersection of strategically important paths. In particular, the capture of Resafa (formerly Roman Sergiopolis) in June 2017 opened the way for the Syrians to Deir ez-Zor. At-Tanf and Abu Kamal are important crossings on the border with Iraq.

“If Iran and its proxies control these three Syrian cities, Iran will achieve its strategic goal of creating a land corridor from Iran through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea,” the publication emphasizes.

• Kurdish People's Protection Units fighter
• Reuters
• Rodi Said

Now the pro-American Syrian Democratic Forces control most of the country’s eastern borders, cutting off areas controlled by Bashar al-Assad from Iraq. In Iraq, the Shiite leadership is in power, loyal to Iran and allied with official Damascus. In addition, pro-Iranian Shiite volunteer groups operate in the country. They are moving towards Abu Kamal from the Iraqi side. The advance detachments of Iraqi Shiites are separated by no more than 15 km from the city and Iraqi Al-Qaim, located opposite.

If Bashar al-Assad's army reaches Abu Kamal first, a direct land bridge will be created from Iran to Syria, along which weapons and military personnel can move. Another important exit point to the border with Iran near the city of At-Tanf on the Baghdad-Damascus highway is already controlled by pro-American militants, and a US military base is located nearby.

In July 2017, the Syrian army reached the Iraqi border in the desert north of At-Tanf, however, as experts note, this was only a relative success. There are no roads in this area, which greatly complicates transport links with Baghdad.

They want to stay

The capture of Abu Kamal by one side or the other will mean the de facto end of IS in Syria. This, in turn, will raise the question of the presence of American troops there, located in Kurdish-controlled areas and in At-Tanf. Unlike Russia, which is fighting not only the Islamic State, but also other terrorists (for example, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham coalition), the Americans initially motivated their presence in Syria with the fight against the “caliphate.” They have neither an invitation from the Syrian government nor an agreement with Damascus on the creation of military bases, unlike the Russian military. Previously, US officials stated that they would leave Syria after the defeat of the Islamic State.

“Our goal is to defeat (IS. —RT), and nothing more,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on August 19, 2017. Then, in response to the question of whether the United States plans to leave its troops in Syria after the defeat of the Islamic State, she said: “That is not our plan.”

However, now the US military is hinting that it may delay. The same Ryan Dillon, as reported by RIA Novosti, did not rule out that the US Armed Forces will remain in Syria. “Some efforts by the coalition through our partners will be necessary in order to keep (the territory) free from ISIS and prevent its revival,” the Russian agency quotes a US coalition official.

The commander of US Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, General Paul Funk, was more outspoken. In an interview with USA Today, he emphasized that the American coalition seeks to maintain its presence in the region even after the defeat of the terrorists.

“I think we need to prepare for a long-term role in building the capacity of partners in the area,” the general said. “I think that’s what we’re leaning towards, but it’s up to the politicians to decide.”

“The presence of American troops or specialists on Syrian territory is absolutely illegal,” emphasized Vyacheslav Matuzov. “The idea is actively being circulated in Arab circles that the Americans are creating bases for their aviation there.”

“Such open disregard for the foundations of international law is a factor that plays a dangerous role. Therefore, the UN Security Council may well take up this issue,” says the political scientist.

They took it for oil

What will the remaining Americans in Syria do? According to General Funk, their main task will be to train allied forces, primarily the Kurds, as well as fight terrorist sabotage groups.

As USA Today notes, the US military presumably wants to avoid repeating the mistake of 2011, when after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, a significant part of the country came under the control of the Islamic State.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized this decision, noting that he has always advocated maintaining the American military presence in Iraq, which would ensure control over the country's oil fields.

• Donald Trump at a rally in his support during the election campaign
• Reuters
• Carlo Allegri

“I've always said we shouldn't have been there, but now that you're going in, take the oil,” Trump said during the campaign, reproaching previous leadership for leaving the fields to Iran and China. “It was necessary to leave forces to control the oil fields.”

In addition, Trump spoke about plans to “take control” of oil that ended up in the hands of IS militants. This is exactly what the pro-American coalition is doing now in Syrian Deir ez-Zor, coupled with cutting off Syria from Iraq. Before the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011, the newly captured Al-Omar field provided up to 25% of all Syrian oil. The total volume of oil production throughout the country then amounted to 385 thousand barrels per day. Now the Al-Omar field, like approximately 70% of all Syrian oil, is under the control of the Kurds, and therefore the United States.

“The main goal (US. - RT) — to establish control over the Syrian economy, primarily over gas and oil resources,” said the governor of Deir ez-Zor province, Mohammad Ibrahim Samra, in an interview with Sputnik in September 2017.

“The Americans did everything possible, even colluding with the Islamic State, to prevent the Syrian government from controlling the main oil wells,” says Vyacheslav Matuzov.

Control over Syrian oil is important not so much from an economic as from a political point of view. Production volumes in Syria have always been small, and oil mainly went to the domestic market.

Now it is necessary to simultaneously restore the economy destroyed by the war and establish political dialogue in order to end the civil war. In this situation, whoever controls energy resources (and in addition to oil, these also include hydroelectric power stations, also occupied by the Kurds), receives powerful political leverage. Earlier, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the US desire to actively participate in a political settlement during a visit to Geneva.

“It makes no sense to use this oil as a purely economic factor, because there will always be a hostile environment around this region, controlled by the Kurds,” notes Vyacheslav Matuzov. The expert believes that the Americans will want to use this factor as an argument in Geneva at the upcoming negotiations on a political settlement.

“This will be a political tool to put pressure on Assad. But also a tool for trading with him,” notes Sergei Balmasov. According to him, despite the fact that Washington is now betting on the Kurds, the United States views them as a bargaining chip. “It's difficult to predict anything. American politics has become situational in recent years,” the expert notes. “Both full support and trade in their interests are possible.”

* “Islamic State” (IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia.

September 22nd, 2016

Two things prompted me to write another batch of notes about my trip to Syria. Firstly, even on the trip itself, I swore to everyone (and first of all to myself) that I would definitely write about the episode that happened to us in the town of Abu Kamal, which is located on the Syrian-Iraqi border. Well, secondly, every day news from this country does not allow the details of this trip to dissolve in my head. All the places of battles, shelling, blockades, explosions, reports, cities - everything is very familiar to me, after all, we spent more than two weeks in Syria.

It's getting hard. Syria is home to some of the most beautiful people on the planet. And at the same time, nothing happens just like that...

However, first things first.

Let me remind you that by car the five of us from Palmyra, located in the middle of the desert in the center of the country, drove east to the densely populated valley of the Euphrates River.

We deviated slightly from the federal highway to see the ruins of an ancient city lost in the desert. He appeared before us like some kind of mirage, a silent ghost:

Hand on heart, I didn’t even remember its name, because there are countless objects of this kind scattered throughout Syria, they all look alike: harsh, yellow-brown gloomy ruins that remember a lot. And in which there is never anyone:

This territory is now under the control of ISIS. Due to the sincere, genuine love of these guys for ancient ruins and various works of art, I don’t know if this ancient city exists at the moment.

The beer was bought back in good old Christian Lebanon. Alcohol can be freely purchased in the Christian part of Damascus (which we did with success, where would we be without brothers in faith), but in general it is available in all more or less sane restaurants. As I have heard more than once, many people drink on the sly, only on the sly, at home, and without the fanaticism inherent in countries located somewhat to the north.

For example, a restaurant in Deir ez-Zor, a city lying on the Euphrates, and where we finally arrived:

Deir ez-Zor is a city with a strange name, which I found on the map and remembered as a child. This is the largest city in eastern Syria, in the Euphrates Valley, which is cut off by the desert from the main, densely populated western part of the country. A sort of Syrian Far East.

Syria's largest oil fields are located here, and this is largely why the name of the city does not appear in military reports. Now here is the deep rear of ISIS, however, there is a so-called “Deir ez-Zor bag” - the outskirts of the city and the airport have been controlled by the government forces of Bashar al-Assad for five years now. The city center is in the hands of ISIS, as is the entire Euphrates Valley.

We drove through the gateway to the city airport - in general, it is precisely thanks to the fact that the government army, led by the already legendary 104th Republican Brigade, holds the airport, and this entire enclave exists. Mig-19 at the entrance:

We decided not to stay in Deir ez-Zor, then still a quiet, flourishing city, but decided to go southeast, towards the border with Iraq, which is still more than a hundred kilometers away. Our goal was the Roman fortress of Dura Europos on the Euphrates, the easternmost fortification of the Roman Empire, where, in fact, the Empire itself ended.

The Euphrates Valley is densely populated, and we had no doubt that we would find an inn in one of the many cities that lie on the river. They acted spontaneously, there was no clear plan.

Hotels turned out to be somehow unpopular in this purely agricultural region, which is how we ended up at the Iraqi border. Strangely enough, they weren’t allowed to go further.

The last small town in Syria right on the border is called Abu Kamal, also known as Verblyuzhansk. However, it was there that the only hotel for a hundred kilometers was found!

A chic luxury hotel, Top Beach Five Stars, which we barely found in a dirty alley.

This is where the extravaganza began. There was complete darkness all around - not a damn thing was visible except the bright spots of the traditional bonfires for winter Syria right on the streets, and the silhouettes basking near them.

Having checked into the luxury top beach hotel (more on that later), we discovered that our car, shoved into an alley, had a flat tire. A! Pierced!! End!!! Everyone is hooked on treason - they have already figured us out (and this is not difficult), and they want to leave us in Verblyuzhansk forever. Soon on the Rossiya TV channel you will be able to hear a short report: “Five Russian tourists disappeared on the border with Iraq in some kind of asshole with an unpronounceable name. Well, to hell with them, they are fools themselves. And now about the main thing...” It was not possible to change the tire for a spare tire (and there was one) in such darkness. There is also nowhere to go. It was decided to spend the night after all and change the tire in the morning, if, of course, the car would still exist at all.

And now about why I’m even writing these notes. What I promised to write about. I was the only one in our group in striped swimsuits who wasn’t worried or worried. I was sure that the wheel was not punctured on purpose. Moreover, it was not people who pierced him at all. That everything will be fine with us. To do this, you need to understand the mentality of the local population - they are the kindest people, very responsive, ready to help the guest at any time. Religion does not allow the vast majority of these people to do evil, and Assad’s strong hand at that time reduced crime in the country to almost zero.

Pre-war Syria was one of the safest places on the planet in terms of crime. It was impossible that harm would come to us, even here, in a remote corner of the country.

In fact, I loudly announced this to all my companions, trying to calm them down. My companions didn’t believe me, called me naive, and prepared for the worst, which was expressed in drinking a bottle of Lebanese wine at the hotel. And now to the hotel itself, as I promised.

This is a hall with a reception. Three doors at the back - three only numbers:

The main filthy attraction of the hotel is a colonial safe, which the French, apparently, were unable to take not only back to France, but even to drag it out onto the street:

However, Abu Kamal hoteliers hardly imagine the value of this item.

Our suite:

The heaters didn't help. In the desert at night in winter there is a terrible oak, and the walls of the hotel are not the best barrier to the cold. Already in the “hall” teeth began to chatter.

This fact, as well as the sterile cleanliness of our suite, completely convinced us that we went to bed not only dressed, but also in shoes:

However, before going to bed, we still decided to take an evening exercise around the town at night - after all, it’s not every day that you find yourself in a remote Syrian province on the border with Iraq.

Since we had completely become cultured during our week of wandering and blended into our environment, we also began to warm ourselves, as usual, at construction sites near the fires:

Then we moved to the main street:

What distinguished the central street from all the others was the fact that, in addition to the fires, it was illuminated by the green light of the minaret, as well as by a working shop.

Soon a crowd of local residents expectedly gathered around us and we made many new friends:

More and more people were crawling out of different crevices, from some shops, from gateways. Everyone was interested - five whites in Abu Kamal, what a miracle, Muhammad, quickly run here, otherwise they will leave! Although yes, where will they go, we punctured their tire.

We communicated in a mixture of rare English words that they knew, and rare Arabic words that we knew.

The guys showed us and let us try everything interesting they had - fruits, food, demonstrated motorcycles, at the end one of the guys got so emotional that he took it out from his bosom and began to show off his pistol.

Take it away, you fool,” his comrade poked him in the side. The gun was put away, and we were taken to a pastry shop to show how the famous oriental sweets are made:

They bake five more trays of sweet goodies for the morning:

Uncontrollably delicious things.

They offered to ride motorcycles, but we refrained, preferring to just sit:

We covered Anya, as the only girl in our company, up to her eyes - in principle, Syria was an absolutely secular country, and girls there could wear jeans and bare their heads, but that’s how it is in all sorts of Damascus, and what’s here in Verblyuzhansk - horseradish knows.

Night Abu Kamal:

After warmly saying goodbye to a couple of dozen new friends, we went to bed. We got up as early as possible, as soon as it was light. In daylight, Abu Kamal looked much nicer. View from the suite window one way:

And to the other:

Morning streets:

People cannot warm up even during the day:

The usual Abu-Kamal life began:

Oh, in the light of day the entrance to our luxury top beach resort was revealed, otherwise at night nothing was visible at all:

The car, oddly enough, was still standing in the alley, and not even on the bricks. They immediately started changing the tire. Naturally, local residents immediately began to flock and give advice, inspired by the amazing sight of white people doing something themselves:

We leave the alley:

We reached the border with Iraq, its territory is behind us:

Ten kilometers from Abu Kamal there are excavations of the ancient city of Mari, known from fifth-grade textbooks. It is over four thousand years old!

We also visited Dura Europos - the furthest fortification of Rome in the East. This is how the Roman legionnaires looked at the ancient Euphrates from the watchtower:

This well-preserved and well-researched ancient city was also plundered and partially destroyed by ISIS - but they don’t write or talk about it, is it really a media and propaganda Palmyra to discuss it.

I deliberately do not reveal the beauty of Dura Europos with its gorgeous views of the Euphrates, and other places. On the same day we will visit another fortress on the banks of the Euphrates - Halyabiya, reach the city of Raqqa (now the capital of ISIS), and at sunset we will visit Al-Jabar Castle, where, according to legend, fairy tales were told to the Sultan for a thousand and one nights. We will spend the next night in Aleppo - a long-suffering city today, which I will definitely talk about separately someday.

I’m not talking about all these places because the purpose of writing this story was completely different.

After leaving Abu Kamal, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone but me. I already knew the essence of the Syrians - they could not let me down.

And they did not disappoint - at the nearest tire shop, already somewhere near Deir ez-Zor, a sharp stone was pulled out of the wheel.

And then I swore that sooner or later I would write that honest, kind, open Syrians are great.

But the suspicious, hard-hearted, noble white people accustomed to constant cheating and cheating are not entirely true.

And I kept my promise.

The paradox of Syria sliding into an incredible civil war lies in the general mentality of the entire Middle East. Why a good-natured peasant suddenly turns into a cruel soldier - many minds on the planet are looking for a solution to this.

But one, strange as it may seem, does not cancel the other at all.

The next episode is about Aleppo.