Omran Daqneesh

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Omran Daqneesh (Arabic: عُمْرَان دَقْنِيش, romanized: ʿUmrān Daqnīš, born 2011) is a Syrian boy who, at age five, gained media attention after footage of him injured appeared on the Internet following a reported air strike.[1][2]

History[edit]

Daqneesh was injured on August 17, 2016, in an alleged Russian Air Force strike on the rebel-held al-Qaterji neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria. Video footage from the Aleppo Media Centre showed an unarmed man, who appeared to be a rescue worker, carrying Omran from a damaged building to an ambulance.[3] He was taken to a hospital known as M10,[1] which was supported by the Syrian American Medical Society.[2] A surgeon who treated Omran said there was "blood on his face from a wound on his forehead".[4] A doctor said Omran was suffering from shock and required stitches for his head wound.[3] Doctors found no apparent signs of brain injury,[2] and he was discharged hours after being rescued.[4]

In August 2016, Omran's relatives said they were afraid of government reprisals and declined to speak.[2] After his family crossed into government-controlled territory, Omran's father was interviewed by Iran's Al-Alam News Network in 2017.[3] His father said Omran only suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital needlessly after "gunmen" took him to an ambulance.[3] His father said the blood on Omran's face came from his own wounds, which dripped onto Omran.[3]

Daqneesh was rescued with his parents and three siblings, then aged one, six, and ten. His ten-year-old brother, Ali, died on August 20, 2016, of his injuries.[5] The apartment building collapsed shortly after the family was rescued. Eight people died in the air strike, including five children. The footage was released by the Aleppo Media Centre, a Syrian opposition activist group. Photojournalist Mahmoud Raslan, who photographed Daqneesh, and journalist Mustafa al-Sarout, who filmed him, both spoke to Western media about the iconic photo.[6][4] Russia Today interviewed Sara Flounders of the International Action Center who said that Raslan's social media suggested previous support for rebel group Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement.[7]

The image of him sitting bloodied in an ambulance after being dragged from the rubble of his home[2][4] caused international outrage and was widely featured in newspapers and social media. It has been compared with photographs of Alan Kurdi, a child refugee of the Syrian Civil War who drowned trying to reach Europe.[2] On Swiss television, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the image of Omran was "a forged picture, not a real one".[8]

In June 2017, new photos and videos of the boy emerged from Syrian government media.[9][10] In an interview with Kinana Alloush, a presenter for Syrian state TV, Omran's father said that his son had been used as a 'propaganda tool' by rebel forces, and that the family had always been pro-government.[10] His father also criticized rebel groups in Aleppo for attempting to exploit his family as propaganda to push for regime-change.[11][8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Hunt, Elle (18 August 2016). "Boy in the ambulance: shocking image emerges of Syrian child pulled from Aleppo rubble". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "How Omran Daqneesh, 5, Became a Symbol of Aleppo's Suffering". The New York Times. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Omran Daqneesh, Aleppo's bloodied boy, shown in new images". BBC News. 2017-06-06. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  4. ^ a b c d Shaheen, Kareem (18 August 2016). "'I filmed the Syrian boy pulled from the rubble - his wasn't a rare case'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  5. ^ Reilly, Katie (20 August 2016). "Brother of Aleppo Boy in Ambulance Dies". Time. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  6. ^ Nelson, Kate (2016-08-18). "Man who captured photo of dazed and bloodied five-year-old Syrian boy that shocked the world speaks out". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  7. ^ Murabayashi, Allen (24 August 2016). "Should We Care Who Took This Photo?". petapixel.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  8. ^ a b Specia, Megan (6 June 2017). "Syrian Boy Who Became Image of Civil War Reappears". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  9. ^ Shaheen, Kareem (5 June 2017). "New footage emerges of Syrian boy who gave a face to the suffering in Aleppo". The Guardian.
  10. ^ a b McKernan, Bethan (6 June 2017). "A picture of Omran Daqneesh became the face of Aleppo's suffering. New footage shows he is safe and well". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  11. ^ Sanchez, Raf (5 June 2017). "New photos emerge of Omran Daqneesh, the boy who became a symbol of Aleppo's suffering". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 June 2017.

Further reading[edit]

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