Omran Daqneesh, the Aleppo boy whose dust-covered ambulance photo shocked the world, attended a commemorative event at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on the first anniversary of the Assad regime’s fall.
Now a teenager, Omran recounted the bombing he does not remember, saying, “I’ve grown up, and there’s a void in my heart… I only learned my story from videos. Now, with victory, a light has returned to my life.”
The anniversary was marked with parades, concerts, and President Ahmed al-Shara’s address. Footage shown at the event revisited Assad-era attacks and torture.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s past remarks were also recalled, as he had criticized global hypocrisy over Syria in 2016, saying those who cried for “baby Omran” in magazines were displaying “crocodile tears” while ignoring the suffering of Syrians.