Tens of thousands of people are hiding in these immense Syrian tunnels and caves

2015-03-10T22:50:00.000Z

Syria's civil war has been raging for four years, and it doesn't seem likely to end anytime soon.

More than 200,000 people have been killed and more than 11 million more have been displaced. The conflict is forcing combatants and civilians underground: Syrians are using massive cave complexes in the countryside as strongholds, meeting places, and defensive positions for battles.

Some of the caves are natural while others are artificial and recently excavated. They're used by combatants but also by civilians desperate to shield themselves and their families from the violence.

Looking inside these caves and tunnels shows us how brutal Syria's civil war has become.

Much of the cave activity is centered in mountainous and hilly regions near the cities of Idlib, Hamah, and Deir ez-Zur in northern Syria.

Residents are fleeing to ancient caves and cemeteries for safety during shelling from forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. In Idlib, Mariam, a 9-year-old girl seen below, seek shelter in an ancient underground cemetery.

Many of the caves were once used during the Roman period but were abandoned and sealed for centuries. Some now serve as makeshift homes for families as they wait for the shelling to end.

The civil war has been raging in Syria for almost five years. This photo, taken in 2012, shows finding refuge in a cave near Hamah.

This girl, photographed in a cave in Idlib where her family is hiding, is one of over 11 million people displaced by the fighting in Syria, according to the UN.

Al-Arbaeen mountain in Idlib, home to multiple caves where families choose to hide, is unfortunately also a flashpoint for conflict, given its strategic placement in the region.

Sources inside of Syria estimated that tens of thousands of people are sheltering in caves, according to The New York Times.

Source

Those who do not have access to natural caves create underground shelters, often beneath their current homes, like this man who dug himself a room beneath his house in Kafruma, an area in the province of Idlib.

Even children help dig the shelters.

Others create spaces away from their homes. Here, residents dig tunnels and caves in the mountains of Deir al-Zor, where they plan to seek shelter whenever bombs begin falling.

Anti-Assad rebels use the caves, too. If they don't have access to natural caves, rebels, like the ones below in Hamah, dig shelters to hide themselves and their tanks and other equipment.

The tunnels and caves created by the rebels can be very complex, with many ways to enter and exit.

The caves are used by the rebels as meeting places for planning and communication. Free Syrian Army fighters can even use computers inside the hideouts.

As an added benefit, rebels can hide, store, and prepare ammunition in the caves, like this one in Maaret al-Naaman village, in Idlib.

They also use the caves as a place to rest, as these Free Syrian Army fighters are doing in a shelter in Idlib.

But soon, it's back to work.

Because of their high placement, the caves can also be used as strategic vantage points for ambushes and live fighting, making overtaking the strongholds a major challenge.

Still, the caves can be compromised by pro-Assad forces.

Once they enter the cave, the regime troops attempt to find any rebel soldiers, ammunitions, or supplies that are left over.

Often they find the caves deserted, like this abandoned base that used to belong to rebel fighters.

Other times, rebels are not so lucky. That's when the labyrinth of tunnels and entrances comes in handy, allowing them to escape and keep the fight against the Assad regime going.

War is hell.

Tens of thousands of people are hiding in these immense Syrian tunnels and caves

Much of the cave activity is centered in mountainous and hilly regions near the cities of Idlib, Hamah, and Deir ez-Zur in northern Syria.

Residents are fleeing to ancient caves and cemeteries for safety during shelling from forces loyal to President Bashar Assad. In Idlib, Mariam, a 9-year-old girl seen below, seek shelter in an ancient underground cemetery.

Many of the caves were once used during the Roman period but were abandoned and sealed for centuries. Some now serve as makeshift homes for families as they wait for the shelling to end.

The civil war has been raging in Syria for almost five years. This photo, taken in 2012, shows finding refuge in a cave near Hamah.

This girl, photographed in a cave in Idlib where her family is hiding, is one of over 11 million people displaced by the fighting in Syria, according to the UN.

Al-Arbaeen mountain in Idlib, home to multiple caves where families choose to hide, is unfortunately also a flashpoint for conflict, given its strategic placement in the region.

Sources inside of Syria estimated that tens of thousands of people are sheltering in caves, according to The New York Times.

Those who do not have access to natural caves create underground shelters, often beneath their current homes, like this man who dug himself a room beneath his house in Kafruma, an area in the province of Idlib.

Even children help dig the shelters.

Others create spaces away from their homes. Here, residents dig tunnels and caves in the mountains of Deir al-Zor, where they plan to seek shelter whenever bombs begin falling.

Anti-Assad rebels use the caves, too. If they don't have access to natural caves, rebels, like the ones below in Hamah, dig shelters to hide themselves and their tanks and other equipment.

The tunnels and caves created by the rebels can be very complex, with many ways to enter and exit.

The caves are used by the rebels as meeting places for planning and communication. Free Syrian Army fighters can even use computers inside the hideouts.

As an added benefit, rebels can hide, store, and prepare ammunition in the caves, like this one in Maaret al-Naaman village, in Idlib.

They also use the caves as a place to rest, as these Free Syrian Army fighters are doing in a shelter in Idlib.

But soon, it's back to work.

Because of their high placement, the caves can also be used as strategic vantage points for ambushes and live fighting, making overtaking the strongholds a major challenge.

Still, the caves can be compromised by pro-Assad forces.

Once they enter the cave, the regime troops attempt to find any rebel soldiers, ammunitions, or supplies that are left over.

Often they find the caves deserted, like this abandoned base that used to belong to rebel fighters.

Other times, rebels are not so lucky. That's when the labyrinth of tunnels and entrances comes in handy, allowing them to escape and keep the fight against the Assad regime going.

War is hell.

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