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ByVladimirIsachenkov The Associated Press MAALOULA, SYRIA Its his- toric churches pillaged by jihadis and buildings rid- dled with shrapnel, this an- cient Christian town north of Damascus still bears the scars of the fierce fighting that devastated it two years ago. Residents vividly recall the shock they felt when they returned to their town after it was recaptured by the Syrian army from the Nusra Front, al-Qaida's branch in Syria, and other militants in 2014. "We were horrified by what we saw: Everything was ruined, burned and plundered," said Rayan We- hbi of the once-scenic ham- let that was seized by the jihadis in 2013. "After the militants stormed the city, they stole all they could and destroyed the rest." International journal- ists on a trip to Syria or- ganized by the Russian government on Thursday visited Maaloula, some 40 miles northeast of Damas- cus. Although heavily armed Syrian soldiers could be seen patrolling the town, the relative peace in Maaloula contrasts sharply with other areas on the out- skirts of Damascus where intense fighting continues to rage. The capital's east- ern suburbs, such as Douma or Harasta, are still held by the rebels even though gov- ernment troops made some advances there recently. An enclave set into the re- gion's rocky hills, Maaloula changed hands several times in the war. The gov- ernment recaptured it from militants in early 2014 in an important propaganda vic- tory for President Bashar Assad's government in its quest to be seen as protec- tor of religious minorities. Some Maaloula residents still speak a version of Ar- amaic, the language of bib- lical times believed to have been used by Jesus. At St. Takla Convent, a Greek Orthodox monas- tery that dates back to the early centuries of Christian- ity, the dome and walls of the church were gutted by fire, its frescoes damaged by bullets and its windows broken. A local priest says the in- vaders stole valuable icons and destroyed many others. Another monastery, the Greek Catholic St. Sergius, known locally as Mar Sar- kis, which sits atop a steep mountain towering over the town, was also vandalized and its rare icons, one of the oldest in the world, were stolen. The jihadis also ab- ducted the local nuns, who were later freed for ransom. Hundreds of govern- ment troops were killed in the battle for the town, said the mayor, Youssef Saadi. "They have destroyed many things here. They stole the rare icons, broke the church's cross and stole the bells," he said. CIVIL WAR ChristianhamletinSyria bears scars of fierce fighting PAVELGOLOVKIN—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Images of Maaloula are on display on a street in Maaloula, Syria, on Thursday. By Tom Bowker and Kristen Gelineau The Associated Press MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE An American adventurer said Thursday that he dis- covered part of an aircraft on a sandbar off the coast of Mozambique and ini- tially thought it was from a small plane, and not from a MalaysiaAirlinesflightthat disappeared two years ago with 239 people aboard. If confirmed that the piece of tail section came from Flight MH370, a small piece of the puzzle will have been found, but it might not be enough to help solve one of aviation's greatest mysteries. In an interview with The Associated Press, Blaine Gibson described how a boat operator took him to a sandbar named Paluma and then called him over after seeing a piece of debris with "NO STEP" written on it. "Itwassolight,"saidGib- son, who has told reporters that he has spent a long time searching for evidence of missing Flight MH370. Photos of the debris ap- pear to show the fixed lead- ing edge of the right-hand tail section of a Boeing 777, said a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of ano- nymity because he wasn't authorized to speak pub- licly. Flight MH370 is the only known missing 777. Gibson said the discov- ery happened after he de- cided to go "somewhere ex- posed to the ocean" on the last day of a trip to the Mo- zambican coastal town of Vilankulo. "At first, all I found were usual beach detritus — flip flops, cigarette lighters. Then 'Junior' called me over," said Gibson, using the nickname of the boat operator. "I think, 'Wow, this looks like it's from an airplane but it looks like it's from a small airplane because it's very light and very thin. But I suppose there's a chance that it could be from the plane or from one of those others.' "In any case, it needs to be preserved, brought to the authorities and investi- gated," he said. "So yes, my heart was thumping, there was anticipation, there was excitement." But Gibson said he wants "to exercise cau- tion. We don't yet know what this piece is ... Until it's been investigated by the experts, I warn not to jump to any conclusions." After being interviewed, Gibson went to the Maputo airport to take a flight to Malaysia to participate in second anniversary com- memorations of the disap- pearance. "It's important to keep it in perspective," Gibson said of his find. "This is about the families of the 239 victims, who haven't seen their relatives for two years now." Gibson, who is from Se- attle, said the piece of de- bris is now in the hands of civil aviation authorities in Mozambique, and that he expects it to be trans- ferred to their Australian counterparts. MOZAMBIQUE Man finds possible Malaysian plane debris BLAINE GIBSON — ATSB A piece of aircra debris with the words "NO STEP" is photographed a er it was found washed up on a beach in Mozambique. The Associated Press SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA North Korean leader Kim Jong-unhasorderedhiscoun- try's nuclear weapons made ready for use at a moment's notice, the official state news agency reported Friday. Kim also said his coun- try will ready its military so it is prepared to carry out pre-emptive attacks, call- ing the current situation very precarious, according to KCNA. On Thursday, North Ko- rea fired six short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korean officials said, just hours af- ter the U.N. Security Coun- cil approved the toughest sanctions on the North in two decades for its recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. The firings also came shortly after South Korea's National Assembly passed its first legislation on hu- man rights in North Korea. The North Korean projec- tiles, fired from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan, flew about 60 to 90 miles before landing in the sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It wasn't immediately known exactly what North Korea fired, and the projec- tiles could be missiles, ar- tillery or rockets, South Ko- rea's Defense Ministry said. North Korea routinely test-fires missiles and rockets, but often conducts weapons launches when an- gered at international con- demnation. Thursday's firings were seen as a "low-level" re- sponse to the U.N. sanc- tions, with North Korea un- likely to launch any major provocation until its land- mark ruling Workers' Party convention in May, accord- ing to Yang Moo-jin, a pro- fessor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul. TENSIONS Re po rt : No rt h Ko re a is r ea dy in g nu cl ea r we ap on s The Associated Press IDOMENI, GREECE By the hundreds they come, trudg- ing along the sides of high- ways and across fields, dragging tired toddlers and pushing the elderly and in- jured in wheelchairs — a seemingly endless stream of humanity heading north for a better life. Only their path has been blocked by border restric- tions set up by European leaders balking at the sheer magnitude of the problem they face: How to care for and integrate hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants knocking at their door. The fields on the out- skirts of this Greek bor- der town have become the flashpoint in Europe's mas- sive refugee crisis, the size of which the continent has not seen since World War II. More than a million peo- ple, mostly Syrians flee- ing a vicious five-year civil war, fled to the European Union in 2015. The first two months of this year have seen no letup despite the winter and its rough seas, and governments across the continent are bracing for even more with improving weather in the spring. At the border, Macedo- nian authorities have set up coils of razor wire, leaving a narrow passage through which they control the mi- gration flow. Over the past few weeks, the controls have grown increasingly stringent, and now only a trickle are allowed through. The first restrictions were applied late last year to those deemed to be eco- nomic migrants fleeing pov- erty in their homelands. Only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans were permitted to pass. Then last month, Af- ghans were stopped too. Now, Macedonia says it will only let as many refugees in as Serbia to the north will allow to cross its frontier — sometimes as few as 30 a day. Sometimes none. It didn't take more than a day or two for the refugee camp on the Greek side of the border, with a capacity of about 2,000, to overflow. Now, hundreds of tents are pitched around it, spilling out across a railway line into the nearby fields. An estimated 10,000 people are camped here, hoping against hope that the bor- der will open and they will be let through. For some, arriving after days or weeks of a journey that nearly cost them their lives as they fled across the sea to Greek islands from Turkey, the sight is almost unbearable: They fear this field is where their dreams have come to die. "I would love to have hope, but after you see all of this — hope can't stay in places like this," said Hala Haddad, a 19-year-old Eng- lish literature student from Syria's now pulverized city of Homs. "The only thing that's here is desperation and misery." Haddad fled Syria along with her sister Insaf, four brothers and their par- ents two years ago, with the family trying to make a life in neighboring Jordan. They hoped they would be away only a month or two, and wanted to stay close to home so they could easily go back. But the war only intensified, and the cost of college there was soon pro- hibitive. They decided to head for Germany to re- build their lives. "We ran from no life, thinking we might have one, and now we're stuck in no life again," Haddad said. The perilous sea jour- ney, in a flimsy rubber boat that started sinking from the sheer weight of its over- loaded human cargo, was supposed to be the worst of it. A Greek coast guard vessel plucked the panicked passengers from the sea just in time. Haddad was tram- pled in the melee and re- ceived a blow on the side of her head and says she can no longer hear from her left ear. MIGRANT CRISIS Refugees' desperation grows in Greece VADIM GHIRDA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Hala Haddad, le , a 19-year-old English literature student from Syria, sits next to her sister, Insaf Haddad, 25, at a camp in Idomeni, northern Greece, on the border with Macedonia, on Thursday. This could be your lucky day by helping a dog or cat find a loving home from... 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