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"Is he Syrian?" Is the reply of Bashar Al-Assad
when asked by a journalist
in the "Sunday Times" British newspaper
about a child who has lost an arm, a leg, and a number of his family members
as a result of the shelling in Syria
"Ammar, where do you come from Ammar?"
"From Al-Salamat? Where are you from?"
"From Hrak."
"How did this happen to you, Ammar?"
"We went out of the shelter and headed towards the toilets"
"When we went out of the toilets a rocket struck"
With these words, Ammar Al-Salamat,
the son of Hrak city in Dara'a province,
conveyed the suffering he went through
when he, along with others, were subjected to shelling
By the regime's artillery and rockets
Ammar's calamity went further than the loss of his arm and leg.
Six children were killed in that shelling,
and they were all from Al-Salamat family.
This was as a bestowal from Assad's regime to this family
on the first day of the month of Ramadan last year.
Assad's memory held no record of Ammar's suffering
Nor of the other Al-Salamat members who were killed
In July 24th, 2012
And this is what made him ask the journalist
about the name of this child, after questioning his nationality.
Ammar isn't the only distressed child in Syria
More than 5000 children have been killed during the last two years
9000 others have been detained, and tens of thousands have become orphans and displaced.
These huge numbers make remembering all the names
a difficult task for anyone
even the president.
But the revolution's memory in Syria
Has managed to follow up with Ammar's story
The Syrian Media Center
identified Ammar
and documented his story so that it can be remembered
in case people forget it.
Lara Nabhan - Alarabiya