Iconic children of Eastern Ghouta start new life in Turkey

By Erdal Turkoglu, Salim Tas

HATAY, Turkey

Young icons of resistance during the plight suffered by civilians victim of regime attacks in Syria’s besieged eastern Ghouta district have started a new life in Turkey.

Baby Karim, who inspired a campaign of support in Turkey after he lost one of his eyes as well as his mother in a regime artillery strike arrived in Turkey's border province of Hatay on Sunday

He was accompanied by two sisters Alaa and Noor who have been providing a voice to eastern Ghouta’s children and their pains through their joint Twitter account.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also met the sisters and Baby Karim during his visit to Hatay, following their evacuation from the besieged Syrian enclave of eastern Ghouta.

The children were dressed by the Turkish Red Crescent and went through physical examinations at the hospital.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Shams Alkhateeb, the mother of Noor and Alaa, said they had lived under siege for seven years, deprived of basic material necessities.

"We were deprived of food, water, medicine, and education. Our children were afraid of bombs and clashes. We had to live underground," she said.

Expressing her appreciation for Turkey, she said they had gotten intense support from the Turkish Red Crescent.

Following their arrival, the sisters tweeted about their journey, addressing the Turkish president.

"We forgot some of our fear. We are safe away from bombing and warplanes. We hope to see the children of Syria live in peace and safety," the girls said Monday in their Twitter account.

The sisters were influenced by seven-year-old Twitter activist Bana al-Abed, who captured the world’s attention two years ago with her Twitter posts from Syria’s war-torn city of Aleppo.

In their Twitter posts, Alaa and Noor shared stories and photos of their daily lives in regime-besieged eastern Ghouta.

Assisted by their mother, an English teacher, the sisters frequently issued appeals for the end of the crippling blockade plaguing eastern Ghouta.



-Baby Karim

Meanwhile, Abu Muhammed, the father of Baby Karim, told Anadolu Agency that their suffering had been devastating.

They could not see the sky as they were obliged to hide underground from the regime’s attacks.

“We were living under tough conditions,” he said, recalling two consecutive attacks in less than a month that resulted in Karim's loss of an eye and the death of his wife.

Muhammed said he was grateful for the help and support from Turkey.

“I thank Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and everybody who stands beside us,” he added.

Baby Karim became a symbol of the siege of eastern Ghouta last December after Anadolu Agency publicized his story to the world, spurring social media campaigns to aid the infant.

Social media also saw an outpouring of support for the injured baby.

Twitter users across the world posted pictures with their hands clasping their left eyes shut. “#BabyKarim I see you” and "#EasternGhouta siege must end” became trending Twitter hashtags.

Statesmen and celebrities also joined in, including Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Britain’s UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, and French footballer Franck Ribery.



-Evacuation process

The evacuations are part of a Russian-brokered agreement between Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime and armed opposition groups.

On Feb. 24, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2401, which called for a cease-fire in Syria -- especially in Eastern Ghouta -- to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Despite the resolution, however, early in March the regime and its allies launched a major ground offensive -- backed by Russian air power -- aimed at capturing opposition-held parts of the district.

Since Feb. 19, more than 1,400 people have been killed in attacks by the regime and its allies in Eastern Ghouta, according to local civil defense sources.

Home to some 400,000 residents, the district has remained under a crippling regime siege for the last five years, which has prevented the delivery of badly needed humanitarian supplies.

Syria has been locked in a devastating conflict since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

According to UN officials, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict to date.