Khaled Omar Harrah (Arabic: خالد عمر حرح, romanized: Khālid ʻUmar Ḥarraḥ; 1985 – 11 August 2016) was a Syrian man who volunteered for the Syrian Civil Defense Force, known as the White Helmets, an organization dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance.
Khaled Omar Harrah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 Aleppo |
| Died | 11 August 2016 Aleppo |
| Nationality | Syrian |
| Occupation(s) | Painter and decorator, later White Helmet |
| Years active | 2014-2016 |
| Known for | Search and rescue operations in Aleppo |
He was a painter and decorator when the war in Syria broke out.[1][2] He rose to international fame in June 2014 after he rescued a baby trapped in a building destroyed after an air strike in Aleppo,[1][3] an act which gave him the nickname "the hero of Aleppo". The rescue was caught on video and viewed around the world.[4]
The documentary film director Feras Fayyad dedicated his 2017 documentary Last Men in Aleppo, which chronicles the search-and-rescue missions of Aleppo's White Helmets, to him.[citation needed]
At age 31, August 11, 2016, he was killed in an airstrike,[4] leaving behind a wife and two daughters.[1][2] In 2017 Politico listed him as one of the 28 people "shaping, shaking and stirring Europe".[5][6]
References edit
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Merrit (13 August 2016). "The Volunteer Who Rescued Syria's 'Miracle Baby' Is Killed In Aleppo". NPR. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ a b Westcott, Lucy (12 August 2016). "Khaled Omar Harah, Syrian 'Miracle Baby' Rescuer, Killed in Aleppo". Newsweek. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ Smith, Hannah Lucinda (13 August 2016). "Airstrike kills rescue worker who saved baby in Aleppo". The Times. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ a b Baumstieger, Moritz (13 August 2016). "Syrien - Der Held von Aleppo ist tot". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ^ "Khaled Omar Harrah: The First Responder". Politico. 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Magazin wählt Petry und Erdogan zu den 'Denkern und Machern 2017'". Rheinische Post (in German). 7 December 2016.