Trapped by war and a Turkish wall, Syrians dig in for long exile

FILE PHOTO - A general view shows tents housing internally displaced people in Atma camp, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Idlib Governorate, February 5, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah/File Photo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Fawaz Atmeh and Mohammed Musa's families were among the first to flee Russia's intervention in the Syrian conflict, sheltering in tents on boggy ground near the Turkish border as jets bombed their villages further east.

As Syria's battle lines have shifted in nearly 18 months since, the two young men have watched their camp swell with families and fighters escaping government territorial gains, insurgent infighting and Islamic State violence.