20 February 2017•Update: 20 February 2017
HATAY, Turkey
A 10-year-old child who lost his legs in a helicopter attack carried out by Syrian regime forces is now receiving medical treatment in Turkey's southern Hatay province.
Abdulbasit al-Satouf was brought to Turkey last week by the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) one day after his legs were blown off at the knees during an attack which also killed his mother and sister.
Mohammed al-Sattouf, father said: "I was at home during this last attack. My children were outside playing. Suddenly we heard a helicopter and the children ran inside.
"Then a barrel bomb was dropped on our house. It destroyed a part of it. We were the other side. When I went to check the damaged side, all my family were under . legs were ripped off. I saw my wife and three-year-old daughter were killed."
Ten-year-old told Anadolu Agency he had been playing in front of his house with his friends when they heard the sound of a helicopter.
"We ran into the house. , my mother and my siblings hid in the living room," said.
"Then a bomb exploded. It was dark. When I opened my eyes, I saw my legs were ripped off. My mother and my sister died under the rubble," he said.
The child said he was transferred to a hospital in Turkey with his father and five-year-old sister whose hands and legs were injured as well.
Abdulbasit said they used to live in Hama, western Syria, but had to leave four years ago, after which they moved several times trying to find shelter.
A father of six, Mohammed al-Sattouf said their house in Idlib had also been struck.
"We kept changing our place until we found a safe one. After we tried a few other places," he and added: "We came to Idlib's Habit area. It was safer than the other places."
Thanking Turkey and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mohammed al-Sattouf said his daughter was still in intensive care in Hatay.
Reporting by Erdal Turkoglu; Writing by Sibel Ugurlu
