Since the first day of the earthquake, the volunteers of the "White Helmets" teams have been leading rescue operations in northern Syria, making every effort and drawing on the experiences they gained during rescue operations throughout the years of war in Syria.
The White Helmets organization in northern Syria has been leading rescue operations tirelessly since the first day of the earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, drawing on the experience they gained during rescue operations throughout the years of war in Syria.
These volunteers began working in 2013, and since 2014 they have been known as the "White Helmets" in reference to the helmets they wear on their heads.
The world got to know them after their pictures were published in the media as they searched among the rubble for people trapped under the rubble of buildings or carrying children covered in blood to hospitals during the battles and military attacks that affected the areas controlled by the opposition factions.
A number of them received training abroad, before returning to Syria to train their colleagues on search and rescue techniques.
The organization, which is active in the areas controlled by the factions in north and northwest Syria, currently includes 3,300 volunteers, most of whom are men. But there are also women among them who are participating in rescue operations.
Since its inception, it has lost 300 volunteers who were killed during the war years, four of whom were killed during the earthquake, according to what Muhammad al-Shibli, a spokesperson for the organization, told Agence France-Presse.
Provide assistance without prejudice to any political thought
During the years of its operation, the organization received funding from a number of governments, as well as individual donations for the purchase of equipment and supplies.
Since 2013, civil defense volunteers have rescued thousands of civilians from under the rubble of their homes destroyed by raids or from the frontlines.
The organization takes a slogan for it: “And whoever revives it, as if all the people revived“ quoted from the Qur’anic verse ”who killed a soul without a soul or a corruption in the land, as if he killed the people.
At the same time, it stresses that its volunteers risk their lives "to help anyone in need, regardless of their religious or political affiliation."
The head of the "White Helmets", Raed Saleh, confirmed to the French Press Agency, earlier, the organization's impartiality. He said, "We are independent, neutral and impartial. We are not linked to any political party or armed group."
- Earthquake response -
Since the earthquake occurred at dawn on Monday, the organization has been deploying its volunteers in the northern regions of Syria, especially those bordering with Turkey. They work non-stop with the equipment they have and the support of residents who use shovels and even household utensils.
The region, which depends mainly on aid, does not have the capabilities to quickly respond to earthquake damage, which delays the search for survivors.
According to the preliminary toll, the earthquake destroyed more than 400 buildings completely and more than 1,300 partially, and it also caused the death of more than 1,400 people in opposition-held areas out of more than 2,600 in Syria, according to the latest non-final toll.
Over the past two days, AFP correspondents have seen hundreds of volunteers searching in the governorates of Idlib (northwest) and Aleppo (north) for survivors under the rubble of partially or completely collapsed buildings, treating the wounded and even transporting the dead from hospitals to cemeteries. Social media is full of photos and videos documenting the volunteers' dedication.
In a video, members of the White Helmets carry a little girl, surrounded by dozens, as they celebrate her removal alive from under the rubble.
Criticism of the system
Despite its efforts, the group has been subjected to harsh criticism from the Syrian regime and its supporters, who accuse it of being a "tool" in the hands of international donors and governments supporting the Syrian opposition, going as far as saying that armed fighters and even terrorists operate in its ranks.
The head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, accused the organization of being part of al-Qaeda.
But at the international level, I pay tribute to the courage of its members.
In 2016, the organization was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And if she did not get it, in the same year she was awarded the annual prize of the Swedish organization "Right Livelihood" for human rights, which is considered an "alternative Nobel", and praised "their exceptional courage, compassion and humanitarian commitment to saving civilians from the devastation caused by the war."
In February 2017, a Netflix documentary about their work won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
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