'As he had done dozens of times before, Anas al-Diab rushed to film the aftermath of an airstrike in Syria's Idlib province. The 22-year-old citizen journalist and rescuer with the White Helmets volunteer group snapped photographs of a leveled potato chip factory in Khan Sheikhoun on Friday as his friends and colleagues hosed down the flames.
Suddenly, another explosion hit. This time Diab became a victim, but he kept his camera rolling.
The dramatic footage shows Diab bleeding heavily from the legs, unable to stand, as he cries out for help.
"Guys, guys, please come carry me," he shouts to his fellow rescue workers, the video shows. "I can't move."
Several other men try to get him to safety, but without a stretcher, they are forced to drag him out, his bloody legs trailing through the dusty debris.
"I know you, I know you! My dear Anas!" one of Diab's friends says as he rushes to help him.
Then comes the whoosh of a plane, another bomb lands and the men are pinned to the ground. One grabs his radio and calls for backup. Airstrikes are nothing new to Khan Sheikhoun, the town in Idlib province where more than 80 people were killed in a Sarin gas attack last year. Russia, the Syrian regime's most muscular ally, has provided much of the air power behind Assad's territorial gains in recent years. Russia and Syria say they only target terrorists, an assertion contradicted by accounts on the ground.
Amateur video shows scenes of chaos and carnage playing out across the province: families with children run through the shell of their homes; a woman pancaked under the rubble except for a protruding hand, still moving; and bombings, one after another turning the skyline dark gray. Diab is one of the luckier ones; he survived and continues to recover in a hospital.
Then comes the whoosh of a plane, another bomb lands and the men are pinned to the ground. One grabs his radio and calls for backup. Airstrikes are nothing new to Khan Sheikhoun, the town in Idlib province where more than 80 people were killed in a Sarin gas attack last year. Russia, the Syrian regime's most muscular ally, has provided much of the air power behind Assad's territorial gains in recent years. Russia and Syria say they only target terrorists, an assertion contradicted by accounts on the ground.
Amateur video shows scenes of chaos and carnage playing out across the province: families with children run through the shell of their homes; a woman pancaked under the rubble except for a protruding hand, still moving; and bombings, one after another turning the skyline dark gray. Diab is one of the luckier ones; he survived and continues to recover in a hospital.
"They are targeting innocent civilians and trying to kill as many of us as possible," he said from his bed. "As I was being rescued I told the guys to hold onto the camera because it has the material that can incriminate this criminal and send him to an international court."
In spite of the risks, some civilians are taking to the streets again in demonstrations reminiscent of the early days of the revolution against Assad. Thousands packed squares across Idlib on Friday, calling not for lofty ideals but for the right to survive.
In spite of the risks, some civilians are taking to the streets again in demonstrations reminiscent of the early days of the revolution against Assad. Thousands packed squares across Idlib on Friday, calling not for lofty ideals but for the right to survive.
"Idlib, we are with you until death," they chanted.'
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