New Book: "al-Fua and Kafariya: A Story of Glory and Defiance"

I am pleased to announce that I have recently published a translation of a memoir entitled “al-Fua and Kafariya: A Story of Glory and Defiance.” The book, originally written by Muhammad Hasan Taqi (who served as head of the crisis management committee in al-Fua and Kafariya), tells the story of the villages of al-Fua and Kafariya during the Syrian civil war. These two villages, whose original inhabitants were Twelver Shi‘a, are located in Idlib province in northwest Syria.

During the course of the war (specifically after the city of Idlib fell to the insurgents in March 2015), the two villages came under siege as loyalist outposts in the province, and eventually the original inhabitants were completely evacuated by July 2018 in deals that were brokered by Iran within the framework of the ‘Four Towns Agreement’ (the other two towns being Madaya and al-Zabadani, which were besieged by the Syrian government and its allies).

The memoir contains many fascinating insights on life under siege and how the Iranians and the Syrian government attempted to provide relief in the form of airdropping supplies and essentials. There is also considerable detail on the role of Hezbollah in organising local fighters in al-Fua and Kafariya, and the attempts to establish ‘conciliation’ between al-Fua and Binnish (a Sunni town) in the early days of the civil war. It is indeed essential reading for anyone interested in local detail behind the Syrian civil war and the role of external actors in the conflict.

If you are interested in ordering a physical copy or PDF of this book, please get in touch with me.