Allison Begalman, a student at the University of Southern California, wears goggles and headphones to experience a virtual mortar strike on civilians in Aleppo, Syria. James Delahoussaye/NPR hide caption
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Syria civil war
A Syrian man carries a girl on a street covered with dust following a government airstrike in Aleppo on Tuesday. Rebels took the eastern half of the city in 2012 but are now in danger of being forced out by President Bashar Assad's troops. Baraa Al-Halabi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Abu Ghassan (from left), Hassan and Sobhy sit in the lobby of a hotel in Athens, Greece, that blocks out at least 40 rooms each month for Syrian refugees and gives them a discount, on Feb. 11. Though the Syrians have a safe haven at the hotel, Greece as a whole has not been as welcoming. Holly Pickett for NPR hide caption
At Harmanli Camp in Bulgaria, hundred of asylum seekers — mostly from Syria and Afghanistan — live in reconfigured shipping containers and decommissioned military schools. The poor country is ill-equipped to deal with the influx of refugees from Syria. Jodi Hilton for NPR hide caption
A Syrian woman cries as she leaves a residential block in Aleppo, Syria, reportedly hit by an explosives-filled barrel dropped by a government forces helicopter on March 18. Khaled Khatib/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Syrian President Bashar Assad (right) visits the Christian village of Maaloula, near Damascus on Sunday. Assad's forces have been gaining the upper hand in the fighting, and the CIA is now increasing training and aid to Syrian rebels. AP hide caption
The complete demolition of the Masha' al-Arb'een neighborhood in the Syrian city of Hama. The group Human Rights Watch says the Syrian government army destroyed at least seven neighborhoods since the middle of 2012 because they were opposition strongholds. DigitalGlobe hide caption
A man runs with a child after an attack Tuesday in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. Activists said President Bashar Assad's military carried out an airstrike. Ammar Abdullah/Reuters/Landov hide caption
Syrian refugees sit by their tent in a camp on the Lebanese border town of Arsal on Dec. 15. Ahmad Shalha /Reuters /Landov hide caption
Kotaiba Mohammad poses during an anti-goverment demonstration in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. He worked as a nurse, helping those wounded in the country's civil war. He was seized and shot dead last month by Islamic extremists. Courtesy Malek Al Shemali hide caption
Syrians inspect the rubble of destroyed buildings following a government airstrike in Aleppo, in this image provided Monday that was taken by a citizen journalist. AP hide caption
Syrian opposition fighters sit on the front line in the city of Deir Ezzor on Oct. 13. Ongoing violence has ravaged the city since March 2011. AFP/Getty Images hide caption
NoViolet Bulawayo is a Zimbabwean author. She is currently a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Smeeta Mahanti/Courtesy Reagan Arthur Books hide caption
Syrian soap opera Wilada min al-Khasira is incorporating current events into its storylines, including tough subjects such as torture and the detention of anti-government protesters. The third season of the popular show begins this week. Courtesy of Clacket Productions hide caption
Jordanian protesters chant slogans against corruption during a March 15 anti-government demonstration in Amman. Jordanians have held Arab Spring-inspired protests since 2011, demanding political reforms and anti-corruption measures. The protests have been peaceful. Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption