• 22 Jan, 2026

Months after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, many Syrians are still anxiously waiting to see what comes next But in the small village of al-Nayrab, known for its olive groves, residents say they are grateful to be able to tend their trees in peace

Al-Nayrab is located east of the city of Idlib, a former opposition stronghold now under the control of the Syrian Interim Government During Syria’s 14-year war, the village was subjected to heavy bombardment by Assad’s forces and their Russian allies

Mohammad Mustafa al-Khatib, a farmer in his thirties who lives in the village, says: “This area was under constant heavy shelling The trees and olive groves were badly damaged, and we could barely go out to harvest olives or take care of the trees It was extremely dangerous” Farmers were forced to abandon their olive and fig orchards and wheat fields, though some refused to give up on their crops entirely During periods of intense bombardment, farmers and villagers worked together with opposition fighters, forming what they called “brigades” to protect one another and their trees during the olive harvest season They communicated via walkie-talkies and by shouting, and even fired at warplanes and drones with whatever weapons they had

“Our priority was to keep caring for our crops,” al-Khatib says, acknowledging that farmers suffered heavy losses despite their best efforts

Now, however, residents of al-Nayrab once again feel safe in their olive groves, even as they remain aware of the dangers posed by remnants of war “Most of the time we feel comfortable and happy in our fields,” al-Khatib adds, “but we have found shrapnel and unexploded ordnance on our land” In such cases, farmers contact hotlines set up by demining experts from the White Helmets and the HALO Trust

Mustafa Ali al-Hassan, another farmer from al-Nayrab, was displaced for more than six years, moving between Idlib and Turkey As soon as Assad fell, he headed straight back to the village After finding his home in good condition and his fields only slightly damaged, he has begun carrying out basic repairs and preparing for the upcoming farming season

“Thank God I didn’t find anything in my house or fields,” al-Hassan says, “but I know how dangerous war remnants can be” He recently attended an awareness session organized by the HALO Trust with other men from the village, and says he learned useful information about landmines and cluster munitions

Both al-Hassan and al-Khatib see many challenges ahead—from landmines and other unexploded remnants of war to the cost of repairing homes and fields But if the war has truly ended, they remain optimistic “People just want to return and fix their homes,” al-Hassan says “We feel safer now”