© Danny Makki/MintPress NewsMohammad Daqneesh displays a photo of his 11-year-old son, Mohammad Ali, who died due to injuries sustained the same day that Omran, known as the Aleppo boy, was mildly wounded, a fact the much of the media missed. Aleppo, Syria, June 6, 2017
On the evening of Aug. 17, 2016, an event that has yet to be adequately explained occurred in the Qaterji District of the Syrian city of Aleppo. Four-year-old Omran Daqneesh, as well as his siblings and parents, were injured in media alleged was an attack by the Russians - or the Syrian military, depending on what source one chose to believe. People in Aleppo suggested it could have been a strike by the US-led coalition. The reality is not yet known. The attack also claimed the life of Omran's 11-year-old brother, Mohammad Ali Daqneesh.
Overnight, the world was introduced to Omran, who became the poster child of suffering in Syria due to
extensive coverage by Western corporate media. The
al-Qaeda-affiliated White Helmets, and subsequently the media,
made the child's injuries out to seem far more serious than they actually were.CNN anchor Kate Bolduan
"broke down" over a photo of the boy that was likely taken and propagated precisely to elicit such emotion.
Video footage of Omran showed him seated in an ambulance, blank-faced and barefoot with blood drying on his face. The world was collectively heartbroken at seeing Omran - but was also misled about his story.
Most Western media
blamed the Russians for Omran's injuries - but some media outlets, including
The Guardian,
claimed that he'd been hit by a Syrian airstrike.
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