SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Omran Daqneesh, 5, was injured in an airstrike in Aleppo on Wednesday. (Photo: Aleppo Media Centre)
The Boy in the Ambulance Offers Glimpse of 'Profound Horrors' in Syria
"It didn't stop & it won't stop with Omran if the world doesn't act."
Aug 18, 2016
Laying bare the horrors of Syria's ongoing civil war, heartbreaking footage of a young boy rescued from the rubble following an airstrike in Aleppo has gone viral.
Much as last year's photos of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi--"The Boy on the Beach"--offered a stark reminder of the human toll of the refugee crisis, the images of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh--"The Boy in the Ambulance"--are forcing many to consider the devastating realities of life in war-torn Syria, where more than 250,000 people, including many children, have died in almost five years of war.
The photo and accompanying video, taken and distributed by the activist group Aleppo Media Centre, show Omran being pulled from a partially destroyed building and placed in a chair inside a brightly lit ambulance after an airstrike Wednesday evening. His face and body are covered in ash, dust, and blood. Seemingly dazed, he says nothing.
\u201cThe face of a wounded little boy captures the profound horrors of #Aleppo where war crimes are the 'new normal'\n#ICC\u201d— Lotte Leicht (@Lotte Leicht) 1471520093
Watch the video below :
According to news outlets, Omran was taken to a hospital, treated for head wounds, and released. It has been confirmed that though his parents and siblings were also wounded in the attack, they survived.
The Associated Press reports: "An hour after his rescue, the building the boy was in completely collapsed."
Eight people, including five children, are said to have died in the bombing.
As many observers pointed out on social media, young Omran represents thousands of innocent children. As journalist Raf Sanchez--whose initial tweet containing the disturbing image has been shared more than 15,000 times--wrote at the Telegraph, "Tomorrow there will, no doubt, be more strikes and more children like Omran will be hurt."
Indeed, Sanchez on Thursday posted a video of medics in Aleppo giving CPR to a child on hospital floor. The child later died.
\u201cMedics in #Aleppo giving CPR to a child on hospital floor this morning. The little boy died despite their efforts.\u201d— Raf Sanchez (@Raf Sanchez) 1471507009
\u201cSo it didn't stop & it won't stop with Omran if the world doesn't act. These pics from this morning #Syria #Aleppo\u201d— Sophie McNeill (@Sophie McNeill) 1471507571
On Thursday, the United Nations suspended its humanitarian task force in Syria amid frustration over intensified fighting that has prevented aid deliveries to besieged areas for at least a month.
"Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas--not one single convoy," U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who chairs the task force and suspended Thursday's meeting after just eight minutes, told reporters. "And why? Because of one thing: Fighting."
Earlier this week, the U.N.-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria warned in a statement: "The situation in Aleppo city has been catastrophic for many years. As unthinkable as it is, the current attacks suggest the agony of its civilians is about to deepen."
An Unconstitutional Rampage
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Laying bare the horrors of Syria's ongoing civil war, heartbreaking footage of a young boy rescued from the rubble following an airstrike in Aleppo has gone viral.
Much as last year's photos of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi--"The Boy on the Beach"--offered a stark reminder of the human toll of the refugee crisis, the images of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh--"The Boy in the Ambulance"--are forcing many to consider the devastating realities of life in war-torn Syria, where more than 250,000 people, including many children, have died in almost five years of war.
The photo and accompanying video, taken and distributed by the activist group Aleppo Media Centre, show Omran being pulled from a partially destroyed building and placed in a chair inside a brightly lit ambulance after an airstrike Wednesday evening. His face and body are covered in ash, dust, and blood. Seemingly dazed, he says nothing.
\u201cThe face of a wounded little boy captures the profound horrors of #Aleppo where war crimes are the 'new normal'\n#ICC\u201d— Lotte Leicht (@Lotte Leicht) 1471520093
Watch the video below :
According to news outlets, Omran was taken to a hospital, treated for head wounds, and released. It has been confirmed that though his parents and siblings were also wounded in the attack, they survived.
The Associated Press reports: "An hour after his rescue, the building the boy was in completely collapsed."
Eight people, including five children, are said to have died in the bombing.
As many observers pointed out on social media, young Omran represents thousands of innocent children. As journalist Raf Sanchez--whose initial tweet containing the disturbing image has been shared more than 15,000 times--wrote at the Telegraph, "Tomorrow there will, no doubt, be more strikes and more children like Omran will be hurt."
Indeed, Sanchez on Thursday posted a video of medics in Aleppo giving CPR to a child on hospital floor. The child later died.
\u201cMedics in #Aleppo giving CPR to a child on hospital floor this morning. The little boy died despite their efforts.\u201d— Raf Sanchez (@Raf Sanchez) 1471507009
\u201cSo it didn't stop & it won't stop with Omran if the world doesn't act. These pics from this morning #Syria #Aleppo\u201d— Sophie McNeill (@Sophie McNeill) 1471507571
On Thursday, the United Nations suspended its humanitarian task force in Syria amid frustration over intensified fighting that has prevented aid deliveries to besieged areas for at least a month.
"Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas--not one single convoy," U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who chairs the task force and suspended Thursday's meeting after just eight minutes, told reporters. "And why? Because of one thing: Fighting."
Earlier this week, the U.N.-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria warned in a statement: "The situation in Aleppo city has been catastrophic for many years. As unthinkable as it is, the current attacks suggest the agony of its civilians is about to deepen."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Laying bare the horrors of Syria's ongoing civil war, heartbreaking footage of a young boy rescued from the rubble following an airstrike in Aleppo has gone viral.
Much as last year's photos of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi--"The Boy on the Beach"--offered a stark reminder of the human toll of the refugee crisis, the images of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh--"The Boy in the Ambulance"--are forcing many to consider the devastating realities of life in war-torn Syria, where more than 250,000 people, including many children, have died in almost five years of war.
The photo and accompanying video, taken and distributed by the activist group Aleppo Media Centre, show Omran being pulled from a partially destroyed building and placed in a chair inside a brightly lit ambulance after an airstrike Wednesday evening. His face and body are covered in ash, dust, and blood. Seemingly dazed, he says nothing.
\u201cThe face of a wounded little boy captures the profound horrors of #Aleppo where war crimes are the 'new normal'\n#ICC\u201d— Lotte Leicht (@Lotte Leicht) 1471520093
Watch the video below :
According to news outlets, Omran was taken to a hospital, treated for head wounds, and released. It has been confirmed that though his parents and siblings were also wounded in the attack, they survived.
The Associated Press reports: "An hour after his rescue, the building the boy was in completely collapsed."
Eight people, including five children, are said to have died in the bombing.
As many observers pointed out on social media, young Omran represents thousands of innocent children. As journalist Raf Sanchez--whose initial tweet containing the disturbing image has been shared more than 15,000 times--wrote at the Telegraph, "Tomorrow there will, no doubt, be more strikes and more children like Omran will be hurt."
Indeed, Sanchez on Thursday posted a video of medics in Aleppo giving CPR to a child on hospital floor. The child later died.
\u201cMedics in #Aleppo giving CPR to a child on hospital floor this morning. The little boy died despite their efforts.\u201d— Raf Sanchez (@Raf Sanchez) 1471507009
\u201cSo it didn't stop & it won't stop with Omran if the world doesn't act. These pics from this morning #Syria #Aleppo\u201d— Sophie McNeill (@Sophie McNeill) 1471507571
On Thursday, the United Nations suspended its humanitarian task force in Syria amid frustration over intensified fighting that has prevented aid deliveries to besieged areas for at least a month.
"Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas--not one single convoy," U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who chairs the task force and suspended Thursday's meeting after just eight minutes, told reporters. "And why? Because of one thing: Fighting."
Earlier this week, the U.N.-mandated Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria warned in a statement: "The situation in Aleppo city has been catastrophic for many years. As unthinkable as it is, the current attacks suggest the agony of its civilians is about to deepen."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.