Atop a mountain in the Idlib province, Kfar Lata has become a ghost village as the Syrian civil war rages. But one family refuses to leave their home. Three generations of 65-year-old Mohammed Kale's descendants are staying put in a boxy, multi-story concrete apartment that holds the entire family. The men want to stay and fight, and their patriarch fears more suffering will come from leaving.
Leaving might bring difficulties, but staying is no doubt a massive risk. Last week, sons of Mohammed Kale worked to rebuild a wall damaged by a mortar shell days before.
As Mohammed Kale's son, Ahmed, sets off for the frontline, his wife and daughters come to the door entrance to watch him depart. Most of Kfar Lata's residents have joined the flood of more than 5 million citizens displaced within Syria, and more than two million refugees in neighboring countries like Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey.
Kale's grandchildren play in a swing at their family's house. Nearly two million Syrian children are out of school as teachers flee and classrooms are damaged in the fighting.
Mohammed Kale and his family gather in a carpeted room in their home.
Grandchildren sit on the floor for a lunch of rice and vegetables.
A woman from Kale's family goes into the family house—the only sign of life in a desolate neighborhood.
On the left, Ahmed prepares to leave with his comrades for the front line, and his wife comes out of the house to see him go.
Young opposition fighters mount guard on the outskirts of Kfar Lata.
AP Photo
A granddaughter of Mohammed Kale pushes water from the roof as stray bullets buzz overhead from clashes nearby.
AP Photo
A little boy in army camo gets a lift as Kale talks to his granddaughter over lunch.
Guns propped on the couch, Ahmed and two other men prepare for a fight. Many proud Syrians have chosen to stay in the embattled country rather than become refugees abroad.
Under a dramatic sky, the three set off on a dusty trail for the frontlines, leaving their almost-abandoned town in the distance.
