victim

Omran Daqneesh

عمران دقنيش

Journeys

The Dust and Blood of Aleppo on One Child's Face

Omran Daqneesh was four years old and did not cry. He sat in an ambulance — his face covered in grey dust and blood, his expression somewhere between shock and absence — and wiped blood from his forehead and looked at his hand. The camera caught him in that moment. The world stopped.

Biography

Omran Daqneesh is a Syrian boy who became an internationally recognised symbol of civilian suffering during the battle for Aleppo. In August 2016, aged four, he was pulled from the rubble of his family's bombed home and photographed sitting alone — bloodied and dazed — in an orange ambulance seat. The image, captured by photographer Mahmoud Raslan, was shared worldwide and reignited global debate about the Syrian conflict. He survived and later appeared in a pro-government video, though the circumstances remained contested.

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Key Facts

Born:2012-08-03

Place:Aleppo, Syria

Nationality:Syrian