Earlier last month, SoA’s Middle East manager, Zack Bazzi, was invited by the U.S. military to visit northern Syria to conduct a humanitarian assessment of the region. While the military, working through on-the-ground partners, has achieved extraordinary progress in rolling back ISIS, the key to long-term security and stability in the region will be humanitarian assistance, economic development, and effective governance.

Zack spent a week on the ground in the Kobani and Jazira regions, surveying the situation and exploring ways that SoA can support the US military’s efforts to alleviate human suffering, spur economic development, and make the regional government more effective.

Below is a photo narrative highlighting Zack’s trip to northern Syria. Over the next several weeks, SoA will be rolling out humanitarian initiatives that support stability and governance in the region. Stay tuned!

Downtown Kobani, northern Syria, has mostly been flattened by the vicious fighting to dislodge Islamic State fighters from the city 
Zack Bazzi listening to a teacher at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Kobani discuss the camp’s education needs
The destroyed interior of a school in Kobani, northern Syria Damaged interior on main hospital in Shaddadi, northeast Syria
Zack and local officials touring Shaddadi Hospital in northeast Syria Following a meeting between local tribal elders, military representatives, and SoA’s Zack Bazzi. The group discussed ways to stabilize the situation in the region and improve security.