Serin Muhammad
Aleppo - When the war in Syria began, the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo bore a heavy share of destruction and suffering — caught between attacks by mercenaries of the Turkish occupation and the siege imposed by the former regime.

In 2013, elders, women, the sick, and children fled the neighborhood due to heavy bombardment by Turkish-backed mercenaries. Yet Sozdar Rizgar chose to stay with her family and several other households. She became one of the resisters, conveying the truth and voicing the suffering of the residents.

“Despite the hardships, we taught ourselves”
Journalist Sozdar Rizgar believes that true journalism requires the pursuit of information and precision in reporting it.
“At that time, we were eyewitnesses to everything that was happening. We wrote about the events and sent our reports to Hawar News Agency. We didn’t have the opportunity to receive formal media training - we learned everything on our own,” she said.

She faced many difficulties in her work as a journalist and reporter covering events in Sheikh Maqsoud - challenges shared by all media workers in the area.
“We had one room, two cameras, and a single computer - none of them modern. There was no internet, nor a fixed office to work from. Sometimes, we would write reports in people’s homes to protect ourselves from shelling and clashes, or go down to basements to send news immediately. Occasionally, we divided ourselves into groups - one stayed at the center, while the other went to hospitals to count the number of wounded and martyrs.”

The first photo and video Sozdar took captured a regime aircraft bombing the Youth Housing area in Aleppo. She never liked showing pain, but she felt it was her duty to reveal the truth.
“We wrote about war, bombardment, abductions, and killings. It was extremely difficult to balance between living through war and documenting it - counting the wounded and the dead,” she explained.

In September 2015, bombardments on Sheikh Maqsoud intensified and continued until June 2016.
“During those long months, I learned a lot and became more skilled in journalism. I began writing professional news reports and long-form stories, and participated in numerous TV interviews in both Arabic and Kurdish — even speaking in the Sorani dialect to convey the suffering and resilience of the people. I realized that if you don’t learn during wartime, you won’t be able to develop your work in peacetime.”

Her role in media coverage
On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2016, Sheikh Maqsoud was bombed with chemical weapons, killing dozens of innocent civilians - many of them women.
“I saw the bodies and fragments of victims and documented everything with my camera. Since I was the only one on site, several human rights organizations and foreign TV channels contacted me for information,” she recalled.

“Even under bombardment and clashes, our comrades gathered to dance traditional Afrin dances and sing - to raise morale and resist.”

The resistance of Sheikh Maqsoud’s residents became known as the “People’s Revolutionary War.” Everyone knew their role, and Sozdar’s mission was to document and convey the truth - including the efforts of Kongra Star women, who stood firm in defending the neighborhood and achieving victory.

Beyond Sheikh Maqsoud, Sozdar Rizgar also participated in several campaigns - such as Tal Sha’ir, Raqqa after its liberation from ISIS in 2017, where she documented the scale of destruction, and the Resistance of Dignity during Turkish attacks on Ras al-Ain (Serêkaniyê) and Tal Abyad (Girê Spî).

She also captured recent protests by residents of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods against road closures and the severe siege imposed by the so-called interim government.

Sozdar Rizgar summarizes her journey with journalism and the camera by saying:
“We reached this point thanks to the experiences we’ve gone through. As a journalist and writer, in every moment of war and resistance, we were - and will remain - the voice of truth and the pain of the people. We raise the voice of women and their suffering, and we will always support them. Just as Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh triumphed before, they will triumph again - thanks to their people.”