Sophie McNeill
Sophie McNeill is a video-journalist based in the Middle East for the ABC.
She has worked across the region including Afghanistan, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Egypt, Turkey and Gaza.
She has twice been awarded Australian Young TV Journalist of the Year and in 2010 won a Walkley award for her investigation into the killing of five children in Afghanistan by Australian Special Forces soldiers.
Sophie was nominated for a Walkley in 2015 for her coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis.
In September 2015, her reporting helped reunite a Syrian refugee family that had become separated on the European refugee trail.
In early 2016, Sophie broke the story of children starving to death in the besieged town of Madaya, Syria.
Her coverage in August 2016 in Yemen exposed alleged Saudi coalition war crimes, the starvation of children and the recruitment of child soldiers by Houthi rebels.
Her reports on doctors working inside Aleppo, Syria gave rare insights into life in the besieged, war-torn city.
Sophie previously worked as a reporter for ABC's Foreign Correspondent and SBS's Dateline program and is a former host of triple j's news and current affairs program Hack.
She is on Twitter: @sophiemcneill.
Thousands flee as army seizes key Aleppo area, observatory says
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The Syrian Army and its allies drive rebels from eastern Aleppo, in a wider advance that marks the biggest setback for the opposition in Aleppo since 2012, the army and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic
Syrian army pushes deeper into rebel-held Aleppo as thousands flee
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Syrian Government forces and their allies make significant advances in rebel-held East Aleppo, with pro-regime media reporting that the territory has been cut in half.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, syrian-arab-republic
UN ready to send humanitarian aid to Syria as rebels agree to aid delivery
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Rebels in besieged East Aleppo agree to a plan for aid delivery and medical evacuations, the United Nations says, as reports surface that rebels were preventing civilians from fleeing the war-torn city.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, charities, doctors-and-medical-professionals, syrian-arab-republic
US names Syrian generals accused of attacks on civilians
Posted
The United States names a dozen Syrian generals and officers accused of leading attacks on civilian targets in the five-year war, warning they will one day face justice.
Topics: world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, foreign-affairs, syrian-arab-republic, united-states, russian-federation
Aleppo's children slaughtered on both sides
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Rebel shelling kills eight children at a school in the Government-held part of Aleppo, while a suspected chlorine barrel bomb reportedly kills a family of six in the rebel-held area, where heavy bombardment has knocked out all the hospitals.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic
From hell to heaven: Newest Australian reveals atrocities of Madaya
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Khaled Naanaa, the Madaya nurse who leaked images that shocked the world, is now in Australia and finally able to tell the full story of starvation being used as a weapon of war in Syria.
Topics: refugees, unrest-conflict-and-war, family, human-interest, perth-6000, syrian-arab-republic
Will Donald Trump be the most pro Israel president ever?
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On the Israeli side of Jerusalem, many are welcoming Donald Trump's election, saying they feel the President-elect is firmly on "their side".
Topics: us-elections, unrest-conflict-and-war, foreign-affairs, government-and-politics, israel, palestinian-territory-occupied
US-backed Syrian rebels announce plan to retake Raqqa from IS
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A second front against Islamic State militants is announced, with US-backed Kurdish and Arab forces in Syria declaring that they have begun an operation to recapture the Syrian city of Raqqa, the group's de facto capital.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic, turkey
Fear and distrust in Aleppo as army offers to let civilians flee
Posted
Civilians and rebels have been given until Friday evening to get out of east Aleppo or face "annihilation" — but for many people trapped in the Syrian city, that's not an appealing option.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic
10,000 children dead in Yemen from preventable diseases, food crisis worsens: UN
Posted
At least 10,000 children in Yemen under the age of five have died from preventable diseases since fighting began in the country in March last year, the UN says.
Topics: famine, disasters-and-accidents, unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, yemen
Syrian rebels accused of war crimes in Aleppo fighting
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Rebels in the Syrian city of Aleppo are accused of indiscriminately killing civilians as they fight to end a regime siege which has cut off a quarter of a million people.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, syrian-arab-republic
NATO fears Russia will escalate airstrikes in Aleppo (photos)
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Russian or Syrian warplanes are believed to be responsible for an air strike in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province that killed 26 people, including 15 schoolchildren.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, refugees, syrian-arab-republic, russian-federation
Boys fleeing recruitment by IS find refuge in camp
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In northern Iraq, teenage boys — seen as prime recruits by both the militants of Islamic State and those trying to defeat them — are arriving in significant numbers in refugee camps alone, and aid agencies are trying to provide facilities for them before they fall into the hands of local militia.
Topics: refugees, unrest-conflict-and-war, children, iraq
'Traumatised' Iraqi children party after escaping IS rule
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In a hot, dusty field in the middle of Iraq's largest refugee camp, there is a party with face-painting, balloons, streamers, ballgames and hundreds of children having the time of their lives.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, refugees, children, iraq
Inside Iraq's Debaga refugee camp
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It can be a dangerous and deadly journey for those fleeing the battle of Mosul. But people must face more hurdles before settling into the already-overcrowded camp in North Iraq.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, iraq
Faces of the refugee camp as Iraqis flee Mosul
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Debaga camp, on the outskirts of Erbil, is overflowing with Iraqis who have fled villages on the outskirts of Mosul, where coalition forces are fighting to retake the Islamic State-controlled city.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, refugees, iraq
Iraqi children dying of thirst, landmines: Save the Children
Posted
Charity Save the Children says children in Iraq are dying of thirst and stepping on landmines as families desperately try to escape fresh fighting on the road to Mosul.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, children, charities, iraq
UN calls for reopening of Yemen's airport
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The United Nations is calling on the Saudi-led coalition to reopen Yemen's main airport, allowing for evacuations and delivery of medical supplies.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, yemen
Russian jets resume heavy bombing of eastern Aleppo
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Russian warplanes resume heavy bombing in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, with observers reporting at least 50 people including children killed in the airstrikes.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, government-and-politics, syrian-arab-republic
'Not a blank cheque': US reviews cooperation with Saudi Arabia following airstrike
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The US is reconsidering its support of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the war in Yemen, after an airstrike targeted a funeral hall packed with mourners in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, government-and-politics, yemen
Saudi-led coalition airstrike hits Yemen funeral and kills 140, official says
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An airstrike by a Saudi-led coalition targets a funeral hall packed with mourners in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, killing at least 140 people and turning the site into a "lake of blood", Health Ministry official says.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, yemen
Excitement and nerves as Syrian refugees make journey to Australia
Posted
The number of Syrian refugees arriving in Australia is increasing, as families who received visas under the Government's new protection program begin to arrive. Middle East correspondent Sophie McNeill travelled with some of these newest Australians, on the journey to their new home.
Topics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, syrian-arab-republic, australia
Impending Mosul assault puts 600,000 children in line of fire: charity
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A looming assault on the Iraqi city of Mosul threatens to put more than half a million children in the line of fire unless safe routes and other civilian protection measures are put in place, charity groups warn.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, refugees, iraq
US suspends Syria ceasefire talks with Russia
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The United States suspends talks with Russia on trying to end the violence in Syria, accusing Moscow of not living up to its commitments under a ceasefire agreement.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, foreign-affairs, syrian-arab-republic, united-states, russian-federation
Syrian Government, allied forces advance towards Aleppo
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Syrian Government and allied forces advance towards Aleppo, pursuing their week-old offensive to take the rebel-held part of the city after dozens of overnight air strikes.
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, territorial-disputes, world-politics, syrian-arab-republic
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