8 Fast Facts About Aleppo

The Syrian government is accused of bombing civilian areas—including medical facilities—with the help of Russians airstrikes. The rebel forces in Aleppo is comprised of different groups—including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, better known as the ISIL. It is because of their presence that the Syrian government claims that the battle in Aleppo is also a battle against terrorism.

Via Huffingtonpost.com

Though the war in Aleppo was covered by the media, the citizens of Aleppo also took full advantage of social media to bring their plight to the rest of the world. Notable on Twitter were Lina al-Shami, an architect and social media activist, and 7-year old Bana al-Abed, who was helped by her English-teacher mother. Bana, in particular, became the “Anne Frank of the Syrian civil war” showing the horrors of war in real time.

Via Hands Off Syria Sydney.com

The war in real time also took over the Internet as pro-Syrian government critics cast doubts on these popular accounts on social media. It became so bad, a third-party website Bellingcat did a fact-check on Bana’s account and her posts to verify that it was a real one.

Via SBTV.co.uk

Unfortunately, Bashar Jaafari, Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, didn’t have fact-checking as his resource during a UN Security Council meeting. Jaafari showed a photo that he claimed was of a Syrian soldier helping a woman in Aleppo. However, the photo was actually of an Iraqi soldier helping a woman in Fallujah.

To find out how you can help in the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo, check out savethechildren.org, or click on some charitable institutions on Huffington Post.