ALEPPO, Syria — The residents of al-Bab and surrounding towns in the eastern Aleppo countryside began obtaining new identification cards on July 19. As a first stage, al-Bab’s local council, with the Turkish government’s help, issued 140,000 new IDs. The same will apply to other areas in northern Syria that are controlled by the Syrian armed opposition.

In order to be granted an ID, one is required to refer to the census office at al-Bab’s local council to obtain a personal status record for each family member. The documents issued by the Syrian regime’s institutions proving the identity of the applicant are used when applying for an ID.

The city’s officials explained that the new IDs are designed to make life easier and allow them to differentiate ordinary civilians from those suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State or the Kurdish People's Protection Units. Furthermore, it is a major step for the many Syrians who lost their IDs in the war.

These IDs show the person’s name, family name, date of birth, place of issue, and number in Arabic and Turkish. The flag of the Syrian revolution is seen at the left corner, and the slogan of the local council that issued the ID with the cardholder’s photo is in the right corner.