Blinded in war, former Syrian fighter guides others with app

Ahmad Talha, a former Syrian rebel fighter who lost his sight as a result of a gunshot wound, shares a laugh with his first wife, Samia, in the market in the rebel-controlled town of Anjara, in the western Aleppo countryside, on November 10, 2018. - A student in computer sciences, Talha joined the fight against President Bashar al-Assad's regime one year into Syria's civil war in 2012. But two years later, a gunshot wound to the head saw him lose his eyesight. (Photo by Aaref WATAD / AFP)

ANJARA, Syria: Years after losing his eyesight in battle, former Syrian rebel fighter Ahmad Talha hunches over his mobile phone in a bare classroom, listening to the robotic voice he helped translate. 

At a rare association for the blind in the northern province of Aleppo, Talha is helping a dozen others like him to better navigate their smartphones using a screen reader app.