New images emerge of child who became symbol of Syrian suffering

The image of Omran Daqneesh, covered in dust and blood, became a symbol of the devastating war in Aleppo.

Last year, the five-year-old boy was pictured sitting in the back of an ambulance, injured and vulnerable, after an airstrike in which his brother died. New images have now emerged of the child at his new home in the city of Aleppo, which is currently under the regime of troops loyal to Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria. According to the BBC, Omran's father spoke to a number of pro-government journalists and said his son had been used as 'propaganda'. Mohammed Daqneesh said:

"They wanted to trade in his blood and published his photos".

It has been reported that Mohammed said he was at home with Omran on the 17th August and they did not hear the plane which flew overhead, signalling an airstrike. The images, which you can see above, were posted on the Facebook account of Kinana Alloush, a journalist and TV presenter who spoke with Mohammed and his family. The Guardian reports that Omran's father decided to change both his name and hairstyle in at attempt to discourage kidnapping attempts made on his son.