Douma exterminated, and the full horror of war

Douma exterminated, and the full horror of war
Feature: Activists in one Damascus suburb launch online campaign to show horrific, graphic results of intense bombardment by regime on a civilian area.
3 min read
12 February, 2015
An child is brought to a makeshift hospital after regime attacks [AFP/Getty]
Editor's note: Please be aware that many of the images shared by #DoumaExterminated on Twitter are extremely graphic and document the violent deaths and mutilation of civilians, including children.

A father weeps as he stands by the ruins of his home, pleading in a faint, rasping voice to those who have gathered round to help rescue his child from the rubble.

Not far from this, a young child cries over her dead father, while an old man stares at the hands of the young men digging to free the rest of his body from its concrete tomb.

These are but two scenes published on social media sites by activist journalists from Douma, a suburb 10km northeast of Damascus in the Ghouta green belt that surrounds the capital. Its people are living and dying under intense bombardments by government forces while the world watches on, oblivious.

Hassan Taqi al-Din, a reporter for Shaam News Network and currently in Douma, spoke to al-Araby al-Jadeed.

"Two days ago, more than 23 civilians were killed by regime rockets. Whole buildings have fallen on top of their occupants while the world is preoccupied with the Islamic state group [IS] and its murder of the Jordanian pilot," he said. 

Taqi al-Din added that activists had started to upload images of the death and destruction on social media in a campaign they have named #DoumaExterminated. 

Death toll rising

"Activists in the city know very well that, once again, the world is turning a blind eye, which they know from their four years of similar experiences," said campaign member Firas al-Abdallah.

"But they are hoping to send a message that inspires those with an ounce of humanity in them to call on their government to do something.

"Since the beginning the month, they have documented 103 civilian deaths. This number could rise at any moment because the continued digging through rubble to uncover dead bodies and the hundreds of injured people, who the swamped medical posts can no longer take in."

Young Syrian Red Crescent volunteers in Douma yesterday launched an Arabic hashtag on social media which translates to "Survivors until further notice", after jets attacked paramedics in the city, killing a young volunteer a few days ago.
     Since the beginning the month, they have documented 103 civilian deaths. This number could rise at any moment.
- Red Crescent volunteer

Syrians have flocked to Facebook and Twitter to post pictures and videos of the humanitarian crisis in Douma and share the BBC interview with President Bashar al-Assad - in which he denied using barrel bombs against civilians and said his army had only used "bombs, missiles and bullets" in its fight against "terrorists".

#DoumaExterminated was one of the most shared hashtags on Twitter and has been mentioned in thousands of posts, with pictures of the shelling and its victims, especially children, and assurances the posters have not forgotten about Syria.

Tunisian activist Wajd al-Abdallah wrote: "The road to heaven is crowded with all the Syrian souls ascending all the time."

Islamic cleric Aidh al-Qarni wrote: "God be kind to the bowing old men and infants and have mercy on the women and the vulnerable. Strike down the oppressors and crush the arrogant tyrants."

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.