Devastation and Aid Challenges in Northwest Syria

When a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Syria and Turkey last week, it killed thousands and created a crisis within a crisis.

International aid began pouring into Turkey, but northwestern Syria, which was also hard-hit, received only a trickle. It was a bitter blow for Syrians, whose lives had already been uprooted by years of civil war, mass displacement and death.

Today, we hear from some Syrians and look at why it is so difficult for the world to help them.

Guest: Raja Abdulrahim, a correspondent in Jerusalem for The New York Times who traveled to northwestern Syria after the earthquake.

Background reading: 

• Little international aid has come to hard-hit northwestern Syria. Residents there said they felt abandoned by the world, and rescue workers said they felt “helpless.”
• Syrians have experienced relentless death and destruction during more than a decade of civil war, but some say the earthquake was worse than anything else they had endured.
• War, territorial divisions and acrimonious relations between President Bashar al-Assad and many Western nations have complicated aid efforts. Here’s what to know.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.