On the Road, North of DamascusA
ccording to her map, Maj. Ariya Zana had just over 75 kilometers to cover before she reached the Lebanese border near El Qaa at the northern end of the Beqaa Valley. She was weary, hungry, and rattled by having to dodge Syrian military patrols. She’d made best time traveling south by riding with coalition factions, mainly Free Syrian Army units traveling in military trucks or commandeered civilian vehicles, but there had been a number of running gun-battles along the way. It had been a difficult trek from Aleppo complicated by having to keep the contents of the padded knapsack safe from damage.
Her facility with Arabic allowed her to explain herself to suspicious commanders. She told them she was joining a unit of Kurdish volunteers moving toward Damascus.
