Dear supporters, I recently traveled to Syria with a US Army team to explore ways SoA might be able to ease local suffering while furthering US objectives on the ground. I’ve been to Syria a number of times, but this trip in particular was different. I had the opportunity to tour Manbij Public Hospital, a … Continued
Despite the bloody conflicts roiling across both, my military flight from Iraq to northern Syria was a routine affair. I was traveling into Syria with three goals in mind: to meet with the US Army Civil Affairs teams, assess the humanitarian situation on the ground, and explore assistance projects that would help ease the suffering … Continued
For an American, Panjakent is not an easy destination to reach, nor—to be frank—is it so simple to pinpoint on a map. As with any worthy place or thing, the remote town of 33,000 in northwest Tajikistan rightly requires the extra effort. Earlier this month, I joined a US Army Civil Affairs team on the … Continued
The migration of more than one million Syrian refugees to Lebanon, a country with a regular population of four million, is straining the fragile social fabric and tenuous political balance of the nation. Hosting this unprecedented number of refugees is pushing the government’s ability to provide basic services to the breaking point. Nowhere are Lebanon’s … Continued
Set in the northeast corner of Iraq, 150 miles north of Baghdad, the ancient city of Kirkuk is home to a rich mix of ethnicities, languages and historical claims. While its wealth of culture and diversity is sometimes challenged by ethnic tensions, Kirkuk has proven itself to be a sturdy city with a resilient citizenry. … Continued
US troops and their local partners are striving to defeat the Islamic State and ease the suffering of civilians in northern Syria. Amidst years of suffering brought on by a brutal civil war and the rise of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), the Americans and their Syrian partners affirm their common humanity through … Continued