DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Many Syrian government soldiers, after years intense fighting, now face a new reality of learning to live without one or more of their limbs, or with other serious disability.
There are no official statistics for the number of troops killed or wounded in the seven-year conflict, although the casualties are estimated to be in the tens of thousands.
In Damascus, the Ahmad Hamish hospital manufactures 60 prosthetic limbs a day, reflecting the high demand in a nation wracked by civil war.
The Associated Press visited the hospital in Damascus' district of Barzeh on Sunday, and saw firsthand how former soldiers struggle to come to terms with their injuries.
A UNICEF report earlier this year said over 1.5 million people in Syria have war-related impairments, including 86,000 who have lost limbs.
