Children of war

• Prize
• Photographer
  AHMED DEEB, Turkey
• Studio
  FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER

On the road between Idlib and Aleppo. At the back of the pick-up, the youngest fighter of
Ahrar al-Sham, left, Abou al-Bara Binshi, 16-years-old, he left his family in Turkey and
went back to Idlib to join the Islamist group of Ahrar al-Sham to fight the Syrian regime
forces along with his cousins.

"One must not be afraid of, is dying as a martyr for the cause, it is even an honor to
fall in this way. But it is certain that fear is there, permanently. I know that it will
eventually dissipate with time ... " Abou al-Bara said.

The new recruits are becoming younger. Most of them are out of school, often in a
situation of failure. In Idlib, 20 to 30% of pupils aged 4 to 17 have deserted the schools
and prefer to engage in armed factions.