‍Having witnessed the final phase of the battle for Aleppo, the fall of ISIL, US-led airstrikes on Syria and other key developments in the war-torn country, CCTV war correspondent Xu Dezhi talks to Global Watch about what he has experienced.

As one of the leading reporters based in the Syrian capital of Damascus since January 2016, Xu has been on the front-line reporting the fight against ISIL in Deir Ezzor and Palmyra.

His latest report is from April 14, the day when the US-led coalition carried out airstrikes on Syria.‍

One-person team

Syrian firefighters are seen inside the destroyed Scientific Research Center in Damascus, Syria, April 14, 2018. /Reuters Photo‍

Xu set up the broadcast equipment on his own, carried out interviews and broadcast livestreams. The programming lasted for 15 hours, from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on April 14. 

Working for long hours is not that difficult, though. The most difficult part is that people think dawn is coming while it is actually not.

Nov. 10, 2017, was a restless night. Xu heard rockets getting launched from close range every 10 minutes.

He was in Al-Bukamal after the city's liberation from ISIL was announced by the Syrian government. But ISIL unexpectedly returned on a large scale and cut off their path back to Damascus.

Much safer

From his point of view, the biggest change for Syria is the collapse of ISIL. The militant group controlled over 50 percent of Syria after seizing the historic city of Palmyra in May 2015.

For Damascus, the biggest change is that the capital city has become much safer. 

Rebels used to fire mortars from Ghouta to Damascus. The threat has disappeared since the Syrian government regained control of Ghouta earlier this year.

Still a divided country

Even after the fall of ISIL, the country is still divided. Different regions have fallen into the hands of troops that are backed by different sides. This has made the situation in Syria even more complicated.

A damaged site in the besieged town of Douma, Eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria, March 30, 2018. /Reuters Photo‍

More than 100,000 evacuees from Ghouta are still living in poor conditions. 

In the shelters, people have to spend at least 30 minutes queuing to use public toilets and it takes longer than an hour to get medicine or see a doctor.

Due to the long-term crisis, 80 percent of the country’s citizens are still living under the poverty line, according to UN standards.

For ordinary people, they don’t care much which party “wins” in the situation. What they want is an end to the conflict, Xu recalls Syrian civilians telling him.

( Zhang Zhilong also contributed to the story.)