New Viral Photo of Wounded 5-Year-Old Boy Offers Glimpse Into the Horrors Plaguing Aleppo

Covered in a thick layer of gray dust as blood ran down half of his face, one five-year-old Syrian boy sat in a bright orange ambulance chair, appearing completely detached from the horrific airstrike he just endured in Aleppo.

Omran Daqneesh — along with four other children, one woman and two men — was wounded by an airstrike ordered Wednesday night in the Qaterji neighborhood by the Russian military or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces, The Telegraph reported. The dazed child's photo, which has been widely circulated on Twitter since emerging, shows him seemingly unaware of the large gash in his forehead.

The image offers just a glimpse into the horrors plaguing Aleppo as it continues to suffer from airstrike after airstrike during the country's gruesome civil war.

Omran's intense and bloody rescue was captured by the Aleppo Media Center. The footage shows rescuers pulling the unengaged boy from a pile of rubble, remains from a house that now stands in ruin. He is seen sitting with a blank stare while others slowly hobble out of the wreckage.

The child is never seen crying, but at one point reaches up to feel the wound on his forehead. After staring at his small blood-soaked hand for a short moment, he tries to wipe evidence of the pain away on the seat.

According to The Telegraph, Omran was taken to M10 hospital, which has also been the victim of many airstrikes, for treatment. There, his head injuries were treated and the dust plastering his small body was washed away. He was released later in the evening.

In total, doctors said they treated some 12 other children under 15 Wednesday night. That number, though, pales in comparison to the number of Syrians killed so far by the war — an estimated 300,000. Add to that the unknown number who have died as a result of the bombarding airstrikes in Aleppo in recent weeks.

The airstrikes have continued with increased frequency ever since rebels and jihadists earlier this month broke Assad's siege of Aleppo. In retaliation, Russian and Syrian government forces have intensified the bombings, hoping to shut a narrow window between the east side of the city and the rest of Aleppo.

As outrage makes its way across Twitter Wednesday night, there is no doubt in the minds of civilians in Aleppo that the horrors will continue, and more children will be wounded in the process.

See Omran's graphic rescue below:

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