Viral photo of Syrian boy harmed in airstrike was 'manipulated': Assad
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Assad was asked if he sleeps at night with all the children being killed in Aleppo and other parts of Syria. He reportedly laughed and replied, “I know the meaning of that question. I sleep regular, I sleep and work and eat normal and do sports.”
He also shrugged when asked how he felt about all the killings. “It’s the fault of terrorists and we are talking about war, not charity,” he said. “In war you always have innocents hurt or killed. What do you do? You do your best. Terrorists are still in Aleppo and use civilians as human shields.” He added, “We can’t just stand still and say, ‘Don’t destroy the city’. More important than the city are the people, so we have to do the best for them.”
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On Sunday, the Syrian regime was accused of shelling a nursery in a rebel-held suburb in the capital of Damascus, killing at least six children and injuring more than 25.
Last month, in an another interview with Swiss media, the Syrian president claimed the viral photo of a Syrian boy, Omran Daqneesh, harmed in an airstrike was ‘manipulated’. “I have something to say to you first of all, go to the internet to see the same picture with the same child with his sister,” said Assad.
Heartbreaking photo of Syrian boy draws attention to Aleppo
He said that both children were rescued by the “White Helmets,” Syrian volunteers who work to search for survivors following airstrikes. But Assad said these volunteers are “a facelift of al Nusra.” Assad claims that the White Helmets rescued the children twice as part of a publicity campaign. ”
This article originally appeared on Independent.
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