ALEPPO – Omran Daqneesh, the little kid who was pulled alive from a rubble portraying a grisly picture of sufferings of Aleppo is in the spotlight again with fresh pictures showing him hale and hearty.
Three-year-old Omran became a global icon last August after his home was bombed by Russian or Syrian regime forces in the final months of the siege of Aleppo.
As soon as Omran was pulled and transported to an ambulance, he went mainstream and human rights organisations demanded an end to the oppression and war raging in Syria.
In photographs published on social media on Monday, he appears healthy and recovered and is sitting on his father’s knee.
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Although Omran was bleeding and was drenched in the dust, his family reportedly shows allegiance to the regime throughout the siege, contrary to the popular belief.
They refused all media interviews and reportedly went into regime-held west Aleppo as soon as they had a chance.
In a clip from one interview, Omran’s father said rebel groups and the international media wanted to use his son to attack the Syrian regime.
“They wanted to trade in his blood and published his photos,” he said and claimed that his shaved his son’s head to try to disguise him and avoid media attention.
Kinana Allouche, a pro-regime journalist, posted photographs of herself interviewing Omran and his family.
“The child Omran, those who tried to shed Syrian blood mislead the news that he was hit by the Syrian Arab Army,” she wrote. “Here he now lives in the Syrian state with its army, its leader and its people.”
Speculations Looming Over Veracity of Picture
Although the international community expressed its dismay over the picture of Omran showing him sitting in an ambulance bloodied and shocked, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed that the photo was fake.
Mr Assad alleged the images were “manipulated” and said the viral picture was “forged” by the volunteer rescue group known as the White Helmets.
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In an interview with German-language broadcaster SRF, he said: “I want you to go back after my interview and go to the internet to see the same picture of the same child, with his sister.”