Syrian rescue worker Samir Salim sits next to his colleague Ahmed Rashid during an interview with Reuters in Azaz, Syria July 8, 2018.
Syrian rescue worker Samir Salim found his mother's body under their collapsed house, but there was no time for a funeral.
"We buried her and went back to work. There were a lot of people under the rubble," he said. Months later, he can no longer even visit her grave.
When Syrian government forces clawed back his eastern Ghouta hometown, near the capital Damascus, Salim followed hundreds of thousands of others who had fled to the northwest under opposition surrender deals.
Now, he and "White Helmet" workers driven from different parts of Syria have come together in the opposition-controlled town of Azaz to try to rebuild their lives near the Turkish border.
Iran and Syria signed a deal for military cooperation in a meeting between the defence ministers of the two countries in Damascus, the Tasnim news agency reported on Monday.Iranian Defence Minister Amir Hatami travelled to Damascus on Sunday for a two-day visit, meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and senior military officials, Tasnim reported.Iran foreign minister hails relations with TurkeyIran defence minister Amir Hatami arrives in SyriaIranian forces have backed Assad in the country’s civil war.Tasnim did not provide any details about the military cooperation deal.U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said last week that Iran should remove its forces from Syria.Senior Iranian officials have said their military presence in Syria is at the invitation of the Assad regime and they have no immediate plans to withdraw.
Iran and Syria sign deal for military cooperation
Their work has changed drastically: with no warplanes cruising overhead, they help the opposition authorities put out fires, clean the streets, and plant trees.
Azaz falls within a de facto buffer zone which Turkey has carved out since 2016. The northwest corner remains Syria's last major opposition stronghold and is now in President Bashar al-Assad's crosshairs.
The White Helmets have often said they worried about reprisals as government forces defeated opposition enclaves with Russian and Iranian help.
The civil defence service, which receives funding from Western governments, pulls people from the rubble of air strikes in opposition territory. Assad has accused it of being a Western-sponsored front for al Qaeda's branch in Syria.
The U.S., U.K. and France are preparing to strike Syria due to the Assad regime using chemical weapons in Idlib, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.‘They’re planning a chemical attack’Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Saturday that Western powers are preparing to blame a chemical attack that will take place in Idlib’s Jissr al-Shughur region on the Syrian regime. Konashenkov said militants who have been trained by specialists of the U.K. private military company Olive to handle chemical warfare agents have also arrived in Idlib, noting that they have been tasked to simulate a rescue operation for locals allegedly hurt in the chemical attack and will be clad in the outfits of the White Helmets group."The U.S. Navy’s destroyer Sullivans with 56 cruise missiles on its board arrived in the Persian Gulf several days ago while a B-1B strategic bomber of the US Air Force armed with AGM-158 JASSM air-to-surface missiles was redeployed to the al-Udeid air base in Qatar," the Russian general said."The staging of this provocation with the active participation of the UK special services is set to serve as a new pretext for missile and bomb strikes by the United States, Great Britain and France," he continued. "Therefore, the actions by Western countries contrary to public statements are aimed at another dramatic escalation of the situation in the Middle East and at disrupting the peace process on the territory of Syria," he concluded.Austrian minister says curtsey to Putin was not a sign of submissionTurkey, Russia discuss cooperation in technologyTies with Russia crucial for region: Turkish FM
Russia says US, UK, France preparing to strike Syria again
"NEW LIFE, FOREIGN PLACE"
Salim said many comrades stayed behind in eastern Ghouta.
Before leaving, he helped burn down the emergency centre he had once helped establish in his town, where his three brothers also worked.
As buses shuttled evacuees out through government territory, including Salim's wife, five children, and relatives, some people cursed and threw stones at them, he added.
"We arrived with great misery," said Salim, 45. "Our peers gave us an exceptional welcome."
Turkey and Russia need to continue working together to pursue the cease-fire in Syria, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Friday, warning that a possible military solution in the northwestern city of Idlib would be a "disaster."Speaking to reporters in Moscow after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Çavuşoğlu said: “Preserving the de-escalation zone in Idlib, Syria is important in both humanitarian respects and the fight against terrorism."Stressing that more than 3 million civilians live in Idlib, he said: “A military solution there would be a disaster. It would be a disaster not only for the Idlib region but also for the future of Syria."“Separating the civilians from the combatants in Idlib is important for everyone, but a solution through force would lead to a new wave of refugees and a humanitarian catastrophe," he warned."A solution by force in Idlib would undermine the trust between Russia and Turkey as well as the trust of the cease-fire participants.""It is necessary to work in the Astana format on the [existing] cease-fire, it is necessary to work on promoting the political process,” he said, referring to the process that began in Astana, Kazakhstan.Representatives of the guarantor countries for the Syria cease-fire -- Turkey, Russia, and Iran -- will meet with Staffan de Mistura, the UN’s special Syria envoy, on this point in the near future, added Çavuşoğlu. The issue will also be discussed by the three countries' presidents in Tehran in September, he said.Çavuşoğlu also said the political process in Syria should be started as soon as possible.Stating that a list of member candidates for a constitutional committee was summited, Çavuşoğlu said: “Establishing a constitutional committee immediately is important for Syria’s future. We back this process.”The situation in Idlib is also set to top a meeting between the Russian and Turkish foreign and defense ministers and intelligence chiefs.Located near the Turkish border, this May Idlib was designated a “de-escalation zone” where acts of aggression are expressly forbidden.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on protesters with unexpected ferocity.UN officials estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.Turkish operation in Syria foiled PKK/YPG terror plotsDisplaced Syrians in Idlib mark Eid despite hardshipsVisa-free regimeRussia and Turkey have agreed to establish a mechanism to restore a visa-free regime between the two countries, Russia’s Lavrov also announced.Russia is ready to lift visa restrictions for the Turkish holders of special and service passports as well as for drivers engaged in cargo transportation between the two countries, Lavrov told reporters after meeting with Çavuşoğlu."We have confirmed Russia's readiness to hold talks on simplifying the travel regime for certain categories of Turkish citizens on a reciprocal basis, and we will do this in the near future,” said Lavrov.“We agreed to establish a mechanism for consultations on the development of agreements on this subject."Russia says all options on table for response to US sanctions'Strategic partner'Calling Russia a “strategic partner,” Çavuşoğlu stressed the importance of further developing bilateral ties with Russia. “We will both improve bilateral relations between the two countries for [providing] stability and economic development in the region and we will boost our cooperation on regional matters,” he said. Without naming any country, he said that some countries and individuals were jealous of Turkey and Russia’s close cooperation and friendship. Çavuoğlu also expressed pleasure at the growing number of Russian tourists visiting Turkey. “We will be very happy to welcome some 6 million our Russian friends to our country this year,” he said. 2019 will be declared the Year of Culture and Tourism between the two countries, Çavuşoğlu said, expressing hope that this will serve to attract even more Russian tourists. 
Military solution in Syria’s Idlib would be ‘disaster’: Turkish FM
Azaz is worlds apart from Ghouta, which lived through years of bitter siege and air strikes - far from the Turkish influence of the northwest.
Salim recalled a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of people in 2013 in the opposition enclave. "People were running down the streets screaming 'chemicals' and there were a lot of civilians lying in the streets foaming at the mouth."
He said he injured his spleen during an air strike on a market in 2016 and had part of his intestines removed.
The White Helmet first responders say Damascus has specifically targeted them during the more than seven-year conflict.
U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura has invited Iran, Russia and Turkey to talks on Syria's Constitutional Committee, to be held in Geneva on Sept. 11-12, a U.N. spokeswoman said on Friday.The talks on forming a committee to draw up a new constitution for Syria are expected to be followed by parallel U.N. talks involving countries including the United States, but she had no date for those.
UN invites Iran, Russia, Turkey to talks on Syria next month
"We fear building a new life in a foreign place and then having to leave once again," Salim said. "I fear northern Syria will face what we did in Ghouta."
His family now lives in the nearby Afrin region, where a Turkish operation earlier this year cleared terror elements.
"HARSHER TIMES"
Salim's new team includes Ahmed Rashid, 30, who was bussed out of eastern Aleppo two years ago after fighter jets levelled entire districts.
The bloody battle for Aleppo in northern Syria marked a turning point in the war as pro-government forces swept through the opposition half of the city. Rashid said 12 friends from his centre in Aleppo were killed.
An explosion in a residential building thought to be storing weapons and ammunition in Syria's opposition-held Idlib killed at least 69 people including 12 children on Sunday, a war monitor said.
Tragedy rages on in Syria's Idlib as civilians continue to suffer
"In Aleppo, the bombing was so heavy we couldn't sleep. "Here (in Azaz), there is no such pressure."
Nayef al-Aboud, also part of the same team, said they largely work on services like helping with car accidents.
"Today, our centre has workers from the displaced populations," said Aboud, 22, who is from Azaz. "Our strength has grown because they are here, we learn from their experiences, they lived through harsher times."