Feature: Syrian war changes lives from pure civilian to frontline soldier

It has never occurred to a computer programmer or an accountant, that one day life can pull them out from behind their desks to put them behind the enemy lines.

In the northern city of Aleppo, which is so important that the battles there are compared to Stalingrad which turned the tide of World War II, many civilians have abandoned their normal lives to become soldiers.

What is unique about Aleppo, however, is that many of those soldiers are fighting to defend their own neighborhoods, which were turned by the Syrian crisis into a frontline.

"Before the crisis, I was a computer programmer, but after the eruption of the war, the situation has become so bad and I had to defend my family and my neighborhood," Hisham, a soldier and a father of four, told Xinhua.

Hisham said he has been a solider for five years, since the beginning of the crisis, adding that he still lives in his original neighborhood, which has become adjacent to a rebel-held area in old Aleppo, which was a popular attraction for tourists.

"I have volunteered and become the officer in charge of a checkpoint here in the old city of Aleppo, and my family lives with me here."

The 40-year-old man said he misses his old life while remembering how good it was when he was a computer programmer.

"I really wish an end to this war; I want to return to my old life, I miss it."

Instead of writing computer codes, Hisham now writes the names, and organizes the entry and exit of civilians to his neighborhood in Bab al-Faraj area, including the families of the soldiers who fight inside.

"The families of the soldiers fighting on the frontline usually come to see their sons, and my job is to organize their entry and ensure their safety," he said.

His comrade, Ahmad Abdeen, used to be a state employee at the Culture Directorate, and has become a soldier when the rebels stormed his neighborhood and raided his home.

"I was an employee, but when the rebels attacked my neighborhood, I was told that they wanted me because I am a state servant and they have raided my home several times," he said.

Abdeen, a 50-year-old father of three, said he had rented a home near the military position where he is serving.

"I go home everyday and return to the frontline as if am still an employee, but instead of having a desk and files to work on, I have a chair and a rifle here."

Sometimes his family would show up at his position when the situation is calm to spend more time with him.

"One day my family slept with me here near my barrack, and at 4:00 am three rockets slammed nearby. I didn't know what to do, I rushed to take them to safety but it was too dangerous, so I had to take cover and wait for an hour before speeding up to them," he recounted.

Those were soldiers who have chosen to fight to protect their homes, and they are older than the usual age of conscripts.

Alaa is a conscript, whose military service coincided with the eruption of the Syrian war five years ago.

The 26-years-old was an accountant and now a soldier on the frontline.

"I have been here for five years, I am indispensable to the army as I know every detail and every curve in the old city," he said.

"My dream was to make good money to get married, and I was working hard, but now I am here."

Alaa said he has become accustomed to his new life; everything about war has become normal for him.

Still, he wishes the war could be over to get married to the girl he has proposed to a few months ago.

"Even though I miss my old life, but it is what it is, I am here now and I am coping with the situation, if the war is over it will be great, but if it takes longer, I will get married and try to live as normal as possible," he said.

Those soldiers are still maintaining a personal life despite being in what is considered as the most dangerous place in the world.

Aleppo had seen a brief truce a couple of weeks ago, but the international tension between Russia and the United States ended the truce without extending it.

Earlier this week, the Syrian army announced a major offensive against rebel-held areas in Aleppo, with government officials and President Bashar al-Assad pledging to restore the entire city from the rebels.

Aleppo has a strategic importance for the warring parties due to its location near the Turkish border, and being Syria's largest province, and once the economic hub of Syria.

The old quarter of the city is the historic center of Aleppo, which was constructed during the 12th to 16th century.

During the Syrian war, around 70 percent of old city, which has become divided between the Syrian government forces and the rebels, have been destroyed. Endit