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Friday, September 4, 2015

Aylan Kurdi's Father Returns To Syria To Bury Family

KOBANI, Syria, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Two Syrian toddlers who drowned with their mother as they were trying to reach Greece were laid to rest in the Syrian town of Kobani on Friday, a Reuters witness said. A photograph of the body of one of the toddlers, 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, washed up on the shore, appeared in newspapers around the world this week, prompting sympathy and outrage at the perceived inaction of developed nations in helping refugees. Abdullah Kurdi, their father, wept as their bodies were buried alongside each other in the "Martyrs' Ceremony" in the predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, near at the border with Turkey. Speaking at the border crossing, Kurdi said he hoped the death of his family would encourage Arab states to help Syrian refugees. "I want from Arab governments - not European countries - to see (what happened to) my children, and because of them to help people," he said in footage posted online by a local radio station. (Reporting by Rodi Said in Kobani; Writing by Tom Perry in Beirut; Editing by Alison Williams) -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.


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