Social media campaign shows life after ISIL

ABU DHABI // A campaign to show the reconstruction work taking place in towns and cities in Syria and Iraq formally under the control of ISIL has been launched on social media by the Sawab Centre.

Using the hashtag #AfterDaesh, posts on Twitter show how life is slowly returning to normal for families and ordinary people now that the terrorists have been driven out.

“As Daesh continues to surrender land in Syria and Iraq, there are increasingly more hopeful scenes of return, resilience, and reconstruction in the terrorist group’s former strongholds,” said a Sawab spokesman.

“Whether it is schools reopening in liberated areas of Iraq or families reuniting after years of separation, signs of life are returning to these previously occupied areas.

“Ordinary citizens are mobilising to bring their communities back to life by rebuilding houses or cleaning up their towns of the rubble left behind by fleeing Daesh fighters.”

Initiatives such as the construction of wells to provide potable water, de-mining programmes, or children being innoculated against infectious diseases in communities once occupied by ISIL are highlighted by the online campaign.

#AfterDaesh is the 15th social media campaign launch by the Sawab Centre, a joint initiative between the UAE and US governments. Earlier Sawab campaigns focused on the enslavement of women and children by ISIL, the importance of diversity in society, and the positive impact that youth can have on their communities.