In Pictures

Syria Civil War: Inside the bomb shelter

Driven by fear for his family’s safety, a Syrian fighter constructs a bomb shelter in besieged Ghouta.

Syria so bad crater — Government forces have regularly carried out air strikes across the Ghouta region. [Msallam Abd Albaset/Al Jazeera]

Abu Nidal Abed, a 43-year-old fighter in the Free Syria Army (FSA), his wife and two children have been sleeping in a hastily constructed bomb shelter for months.

Located in the Saqba town in the Ghouta area of Damascus’ countryside, their home has been damaged by air strikes launched by the Syrian government throughout the five-year civil war.

“I spent 45 days building the bomb shelter to protect us from the rocket fire and air strikes,” he told Al Jazeera.

The Syrian conflict broke out as a largely unarmed uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, but it was not long before it evolved into a full-on civil war.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Steffan de Mistura, estimated last week that more than 400,000 people have been killed throughout the fighting in Syria.

Much of the Ghouta region is under siege by government forces and pro-Assad armed groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah.

The siege has made it difficult for residents to access humanitarian supplies, including medicine and vaccinations, resulting in a wave of illnesses.

Explaining that he had already lost one son in the civil war, Abed said he was motivated by fear for his children’s safety, hoping to protect them from the exposure to the Syrian government’s air strikes.

Abed’s son, 25-year-old Nidal, was killed while fighting with the FSA in the Damascus countryside in 2015.

Syrian home saqba — The Abed family's home was first hit by an air strike in 2013, partially damaging it. [Msallam Abd Albaset/Al Jazeera]

Syrian bad house 1 — Abu Nidal spent 43 days building the bomb shelter by himself. [Msallam Abd Albaset/Al Jazeera]

Syria home bad — Abu Nidal says because the area is besieged, he only had access to very basic tools. [Msallam Abd Albaset/Al Jazeera]

Syrian home destroyed — 'Before we built this, the kids were always scared of air strikes, especially when I wasn't at home,' he recalled. [Msallam Abd Albaset/Al Jazeera]

Syrian home — The UN estimates that more than 400,000 Syrians live in areas under siege by government or opposition. [Msallam Abd Albaset/Al Jazeera]

Syrian home destroyed saqba — The Ghouta region has been hit particularly hard by air strikes from both the Assad government and Russian forces. [Msallam Abd Albaset/Al Jazeera]