City of Ghosts
Struggling to rebuild in the wake of war, the Syrian people are isolated within a haunted landscape of endless destruction and bullet holes. Following a series of airstrikes by American forces, the Raqqa city was largely liberated from the control of the Islamic State. This freedom was achieved at a high cost and was fought for, but the sacrifices of these people are not over. Created by ABC News Australia, City of Ghosts explores various areas of this devastated wasteland in order to uncover a wounded but determined humanity.
The earliest indication of hell is located at Heaven’s Square. This was the location where IS displayed public beheadings. Residents of the area, including many children, were compelled to participate in a sea of plasma screens that lined the area.
In another segment, a soldier recalls an endless procession of captives that were held and tortured on the field and in the dark halls of an abandoned football stadium. The terrorist organization drew several schemes of attack on the bare walls, they covered the floors with their shaved beard when they were desperate to elude recognition.
An Australian who served as a volunteer in the Kurdish forces, he located pieces of jagged stone that contained bomb shells, trip wires and landmines. The procedure of disarmament is lengthy and must be completed before any meaningful reconstruction can occur.
The region is hazardous to travel through, and some still have concerns about a lingering ISIS presence that remains concealed. However, the filmmakers brave their journey despite the fact that they visit the crumbling former residence of Khaled Sharrouf, an Australian citizen who immigrated to Syria in order to fight for ISIS. We observe the weapons range that he utilized to train his children in the practice of warfare and the manner in which they imprisoned other children from the region that were taken. Ultimately, he and two of his own children were killed in the airstrikes.
How does a community that was once densely populated with 260,000 people recover from such a catastrophe? City of Ghosts depicts a region that has been devastated in multiple ways. However, their newfound freedom grants them a fleeting glimpse of hope that they’ve been lacking for too long.
