A Jail under ISIS, Raqqa's Stadium Back to Hosting Football

In this April 5, 2018 photo, children look from the window of their house that was damaged last summer during fighting against ISIS in Raqqa, Syria. (AP)
In this April 5, 2018 photo, children look from the window of their house that was damaged last summer during fighting against ISIS in Raqqa, Syria. (AP)
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A Jail under ISIS, Raqqa's Stadium Back to Hosting Football

In this April 5, 2018 photo, children look from the window of their house that was damaged last summer during fighting against ISIS in Raqqa, Syria. (AP)
In this April 5, 2018 photo, children look from the window of their house that was damaged last summer during fighting against ISIS in Raqqa, Syria. (AP)

He was once held underneath Raqqa's stadium, a prisoner in the ISIS group's alleged Syrian capital. Now Aziz al-Sajer has returned to the pitch -- only this time, with a football, said an Agence France Presse report on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old and his fellow players on the Al-Rashid football team gathered this week in the stadium for a play-off tournament between local clubs.

Dressed in white and bright yellow shirts, they stretched and did warm-up exercises before sprinting onto the sun-parched dirt field.

A few dozen fans cheered them on from metal stands still pockmarked by last year's offensive to oust ISIS from Raqqa.

Directly beneath the supporters were the rooms the extremists once transformed into a notorious prison.

Before joining his teammates, Sajer looked around at the one-time jail where he spent a month being interrogated by ISIS after defecting from Syrian regime forces.

"This prison behind me is now in the past. It's all over, and now we can rest," he said.

He had dark memories of ISIS's three-year reign over Raqqa.

"We used to sneak around just to play sports. It wasn't officially banned -- they just hated it," Sajer told AFP.

"They banned sports logos on clothes, like Real Madrid or Barcelona. You could get imprisoned for that," Sajer recalled.

Ironically, that could land people beneath the Raqqa stadium, which ISIS had outfitted as a jail.

Bullet casings are still scattered near the pitch, and the dirty walls of the dimly-lit rooms underground are marked by handwritten messages from former prisoners: "Oh God, help us."

Last year, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) waged a fierce battle to oust ISIS from Raqqa, and the stadium was one of the extremists’ final holdouts.

Six months later, the pitch is full of life as teams from different SDF-held areas duke it out on the field.

The tournament was organized by the Raqqa Civil Council, an SDF-affiliate local committee tasked with running the city's affairs.

Nashwa Ramadan, co-chair of the RCC's sports and youth committee, said the football championship was the first since ISIS was defeated.

"We've made the stadium a place for sports again," she told AFP.

"ISIS is gone, and with it, the fear. We even have plans for women's sports," Ramadan said.

The match back at the stadium saw Al-Rashid take on Al-Sad, a team from the nearby town of Tabqa that was also recaptured from ISIS by the SDF.

As the players chased the ball around the pitch the watching fans bellowed their appreciation.

"Al-Sad, Al-Sad, where's the fourth goal?" called out one Tabqa supporter, while another spectator cheered, "Nice one, nice one!"

Among those cheering was Mohammad al-Haruni, who told AFP he was glad to see life back to normal.

"After the destruction and displacement, we have hope that things will be better in the future," he said.

"This match is proof of that."



Compensation Delays Leave Beirut Southern Suburbs’ Families in Ruined Homes

A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)
A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)
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Compensation Delays Leave Beirut Southern Suburbs’ Families in Ruined Homes

A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)
A man surveys the damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs last week. (EPA)

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid buildings scarred by war, residents continue to suffer from severe damage to their homes caused by the recent conflict.

In the Mrayjeh and Saint Therese neighborhoods, locals face a harsh reality of ruined houses, stalled compensation, and unfulfilled promises, while reconstruction projects remain frozen amid deep uncertainty.

In Mrayjeh, where the destruction still marks the walls of homes, Ali, a resident, told Asharq Al-Awsat about the near-total damage to his house.

He said: “After my home was almost completely destroyed, we were told there was an urgent reconstruction plan and that compensation would be paid within a few months. But the reality is completely different.”

“All we actually received was four months’ worth of shelter allowance starting in January, totaling no more than $2,000. After that, all aid stopped, and we have not received any financial support to repair the damage,” added Ali.

On the scale of his losses, Ali said: “My home is no longer habitable. It was completely damaged—from the walls to the floors, from water and electricity networks to furniture that was entirely ruined. I barely managed to salvage anything.”

“Yet, I have received no compensation for the losses. Since the damage occurred, I have been covering all costs out of my own pocket. So far, I’ve spent more than $10,000, and I’m still at the beginning of the road. In my estimation, I need at least another $30,000 to restore the house to a livable condition.”

But the biggest shock came in recent weeks, when they were officially informed that restoration work in the building was halted “until further notice.”

Ali explained that the entity responsible for the repairs, appointed by Hezbollah, told them bluntly: “Funding has stopped, so no work can continue. All they managed to do was reinforce a support wall on the ground floor, then they stopped and left as if nothing happened.”

The building is now at risk of total collapse, with many families either displaced or living in inhumane conditions.

Regarding their appeals to the authorities, Ali said: “All our inquiries receive the same response: ‘There is no funding currently, please wait.’”