Tag Archives: syrian

It seems not a day goes by that we don't hear stories of escalating casualty counts in some overseas conflict. Often they take place in cities that most Americans couldn't locate on a world map. Just as frequently, these stories come toward the end of a nightly news broadcast, buried by more trending topics such as the Rio Olympics or a presidential candidate's latest gaffe. We're not saying that a caring, compassionate person can't also take an interest in the less consequential or more entertaining news items of the day. But we are saying that when a powerful image that makes the distantly political intensely personal, it's important to take notice. Omran Daqneesh is a five-year-old boy living in war-torn Syria. A photo of his stunned, bloodied face following an air strike in his native Aleppo has gone viral today. Like Alan Kurdi, the toddler who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea while fleeing Syria with his family last year, Omran has become a potent reminder of the immense human toll of modern warfare. For some, the photo is a vivid illustration of the urgency of resolving the Syrian refugee crisis in a fashion that will save as many civilian lives as possible. For others, it's simply confirmation that unimaginable horrors befall the world's most innocent humans on a daily basis. Regardless of one's personal politics, it's impossible to not be affected by the photo of Omran. The images and video of Omran show him moments after he was pulled from the rubble of a building that was decimated in an attack orchestrated by either Russia or the government of Syria. It's unclear if the boy has any surviving family members. Many of the images of Omran were shared with the international media via the Syrian American Medical Society. You can donate to the aid organization here .

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Omran Daqneesh: Photo of Aleppo Boy Stuns World