Winter-hit Syrians turn to pistachio shells for heat

Tal al-Karama (Syria) (AFP) - Abu Walid emptied a container of pistachio shells into the top of a heater in his living room in violence-plagued northwest Syria, where millions are bracing for a harsh winter."Because of a shortage in fuel, we started looking for alternatives," Abu Walid told AFP."So we resorted to heaters powered by pistachio shells," he said, sitting cross-legged on a divan in his home in jihadist-dominated Idlib province.