Underground Field Hospital

Walking through the bombed streets of Aleppo, my translator Antoine and I arrived at a Churchyard. The church had been occupied by the Al Nusra Front. Inside the gates, we could see evidence of what was up to a few months previously an extremist group training camp.

At either end of the long yard, there were targets, empty shells, wooden barriers, and other debris scattered over a wide area. Just like you would expect to see on a shooting range.

Strolling through the yard, stopping now and then to examine some pieces of debris we came across a black entrance in the ground. This was a tunnel, a dark tunnel of some sort. I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement, all bundled into one. The opening was quite small and the inside looked dark and eerie.

A makeshift wooden ladder rested at one side of the entrance in the dugout, which lead to we didn’t know where exactly. Looking down into the opening we could see nothing, nothing at all but darkness.

We both know that this was something we had to explore not knowing what we would find down there, how big this was, or even were there anyone hiding down there. Who knows the hidden danger, this could have been booby-trapped with mines or some similar device. We were about to find out.

Unlike me! but for once, I had left my torch on the table back in the 'safe house' miles away. Usually, I would have the flashlight inside my camera bag always on the ready-to-go.

But all was not lost, thanks to modern technology, we could use the torch on the mobile phone. I quickly mounted the Nikon Speedlight on my Nikon D3 camera body and began to descend the ladder into the opening with Antoine not far behind me.

The makeshift ladder was exactly what it was. Every step made a creaking sound and shook badly as I descended into the underground.

As we found our footing at the bottom, I took the lead, flashing my camera to give us more light and at the same time taking pictures as we progress along the long narrow channel.

Taking each step carefully, walking in a single line along the uneven surface. Also watching out for anything that would look like an explosive device of some description, I began to recall some of the information I received during my hostile environment training in the UK many months previously.

As we approached the end of the long passageway, we could see several rooms, each one connected with a heavy metal door. Without a doubt, these were temporary hospital wards and holding cells.

We found several documents which Antoine translated, which indicated that Jabhat al Nusra used this underground shelter as a field hospital.

Bed mattresses and bed linen covered the floor. Clothes hanging from temporary clotheslines. Cabinets that were used for housing medical equipment and medication. 

Small rooms that the extremists would use to hold anyone who would disagree with their way. Imprisonment and torture would have taken place in this underground dwelling. It is believed that up to a dozen people would have been held captive in each of these little rooms.