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| - Ten years ago, a wave of protests which became known as the Arab Spring swept the Middle East. Syria, long under the iron-clad rule of the Assad family, was one of the last countries to feel the heat of the uprisings, which had already toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt. But as people gradually rose up in March 2011 to shake off the shackles of President Bashar al-Assad, the regime hit back, even defying international law and outrage to allegedly employ chemical weapons against its own people. A decade on, the country has been ravaged by a complex and bitter civil war, which has claimed more than 380,000 lives, displaced half of the country's 22 million people and left ancient cities in ruins. Thanks to the intervention of Iran and Russia, Assad has defied the odds to remain in power, the opposition is decimated and divided, and millions of refugees are living in camps or in exile abroad. Over two days, AFP will run a series of stories, videos, photos and graphics tracing the arc of this devastating conflict, which has reshaped the Middle East, and redrawn and sharpened international political alliances. From the hopes of the Kurds for self-rule, to the failure of the opposition to present a viable alternative and the long search for justice for victims, our stories will explore the fallout of what is perhaps the defining conflict of the early 21st century. In the first of two parts, we are offering the following: + 10 years on, no peace after war in Syria + Activists in race to save digital trace of Syria war + With heavy hearts, Syrians in Turkey pursue new lives + Syria's Idlib: What future for the rebel holdout? + Timeline: Ten years of war in Syria Arab-revolution-Syria-conflict,SPECIAL REPORT BEIRUT After a decade of unfathomable violence and human tragedy that has made Syria the defining war of the early 21st century, the fighting has tapered off but the suffering hasn't. 2,000 words by Jean-Marc Mojon. Picture. Video. File picture. File video. Graphic Arab-revolution-Syria-conflict-internet-technology,FOCUS BEIRUT From videos of deadly air strikes to jihadist takeovers, Al-Mutez Billah's YouTube page served as a digital archive of the Syrian war until automated takedown software in 2017 erased it permanently. 850 words by Hashem Osseiran. File picture Arab-revolution-Syria-conflict-Turkey-refugees,FOCUS GAZIANTEP, Turkey Some are coping, others struggling, but Syrian refugees in Turkey say they dare not follow their dreams and return home while President Bashar al-Assad remains in power. 650 words by Ezzedine Said. Picture. Video Arab-revolution-Syria-conflict-Idlib,Q&A BEIRUT Ten years into Syria's war, a large patch of territory in the country's northwest controlled by jihadists and allied rebels is still holding out against the Damascus regime. 800 words by Tony Gamal-Gabriel. Graphic Also moving: Arab-revolution-Syria-conflict,CHRONO afp
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