IDPs Return to Recaptured Maarat Al-Numan in Idlib, Find Widespread Destruction

Immediately after opposition factions seized control of Maarat Al-Numan in Idlib’s countryside on December 1, hundreds of forcibly displaced residents rushed back to inspect their homes, lands, and properties only to find the extent of destruction and vandalism that had afflicted their belongings by regime forces.

The armed opposition forces, operating under the “Deterrence of Aggression” operations room led by hardline Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) toppled on December 8 the Syrian regime.

Maarat Al-Numan, located in southern Idlib governorate, is the second-largest city in the region after Idlib City. Historically, it served as an industrial hub for southern Idlib, with most residents engaged in trade and commerce, unlike the predominantly agricultural areas of rural Idlib. Opposition forces first gained control of the city in 2012 before regime forces retook it in 2020 during a military campaign targeting southern Idlib. This campaign led to the displacement of all its residents to camps in northern Syria, within opposition-controlled areas.

Since then, various regime militias had taken over the city, which remained uninhabited, declaring it a military zone due to its proximity to opposition frontlines in southern Idlib. Among these militias were the Russian-backed “25th Special Mission Forces Division” and Iranian-affiliated groups such as Fatemiyoun and Zainabiyoun.

These militias prohibited displaced residents from returning to Maarat Al-Numan, even those living in regime-controlled areas. Like other areas in southern Idlib’s countryside, regime-contracted crews looted homes in the city, extracting recyclable materials, including steel bars from concrete roofs.

Since 2022, regime-affiliated media had propagated narratives about residents returning to the city, often showcasing celebratory events attended by state and Baath Party officials. However, these reports were mere propaganda, as no actual resettlement occurred. Away from regime media cameras, Maarat Al-Numan was uninhabitable due to the widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure, the division of neighbourhoods among various militias, and the erection of concrete barriers, some bearing the Iranian flag.

These militias not only used Maarat Al-Numan as a command centre for their operations in southern Idlib but also repurposed numerous civilian homes as weapons depots, command posts, and places of worship.

A correspondent for The Syria Report who visited the city after the entry of opposition forces exposed the extent of misinformation spread by the government about restoring services and resettling residents. Eyewitnesses reported rubble blocking neighbourhood roads, most of which were impassable for vehicles, except for parts of the Museum Street and a few main routes previously used for regime-held celebrations.

While private properties were looted, authorities focused on renovating a few government facilities, such as Bahethat Al-Badiya School, reopened on November 14, and the educational services complex, inaugurated on October 30.

AbdulRazak, a forcibly displaced resident living in the Mashhad Ruhin camp in northern Idlib, told The Syria Report that he returned to Maarat al-Numan the day after regime forces left it, only to find his flat in the western neighbourhood, previously undamaged by the fighting, rendered uninhabitable. The 100-square-metre apartment’s roof had been completely dismantled, and its steel reinforcement bars removed.

AbdulRazak explained that his flat, built as a second storey above his father’s house, had a reinforced concrete roof known locally as a “slab.” This type of roof is particularly targeted by looting crews for its steel. He estimated that approximately one tonne of steel had been removed from his roof. The crews, he noted, used various methods to extract the steel, including manual and electric tools, and even set the house on fire to heat the steel, making it easier to loosen. They then cooled the steel with water to induce expansion and contraction, which weakened the surrounding concrete.

Our correspondent documented similar looting in multiple homes, rendering many beyond repair and necessitating complete reconstruction due to structural risks. Approximately 40 percent of the city’s homes were estimated to have been affected by such looting, particularly older houses, single-storey buildings, upper floors of multi-storey buildings, and structures already damaged by combat.

Recent fires, likely set days before regime forces withdrew, were evident in several locations, alongside abandoned looting equipment and piles of salvaged steel.

Displaced resident Ahmed Al-Jarban described the city’s condition as dire, with his joy at returning home overshadowed by the immense destruction caused by the looting of residents’ properties.

The return of all displaced residents to Maarat Al-Numan remains highly challenging. The city, home to an estimated 370,000 people in 2004, has a population now scattered between Turkey, other host countries, and displacement camps in northern Syria, particularly in Mashhad Ruhin near the Turkish border. Many displaced residents cannot afford to repair or rebuild their homes without financial assistance.

Despite the devastation, some returnees have begun repairing salvageable homes. The correspondent witnessed one individual starting to rebuild a roof. However, the widespread destruction, ongoing military instability in surrounding areas, and financial barriers make a full return far from imminent.