A British doctor has been killed in Syria after a bomb hit a makeshift surgery where he was treating injured civilians.
Dr Isa Abdur Rahman, 26, who graduated from Imperial College London, died from a shell injury whilst treating wounded casualties in Idlib. He was a married man who left his position at London’s Royal Free Hospital last year to volunteer with the British charity Hand in Hand for Syria. Two other civilians also died in the attack which the British charity has blamed on Syrian government forces.
Dr Isa was of Indian descent, he had been learning Arabic and was popular with the local people. He was buried last week in the village of Atmeh next to the Turkey border, where Dr Isa first began working when arriving in Syria.
Dr Isa set up a clinic in Atmeh then travelled from town to town offering medical assistance. Recently he had been working in the field hospital in Idlib that came under attack on Wednesday morning.
Dr Isa’s devastated wife, parents and siblings were too upset to speak in the wake of the tragedy. But Chairman of HIHS, Faddy Sahloul said about Dr Isa: “I was very close to Dr Isa, a shy young man whom I first met two years ago. We spent a significant amount of time working together in Turkey and Syria and he was one of the bravest and most dedicated people I have met. Everyone who knew him is shocked and saddened to hear the tragic news of his death but we can draw comfort from the fact that he died doing work that he loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family at this difficult time.”
Friends of Dr Isa have set up a JustGiving page and are encouraging those who knew him to make a donation to Syria in his memory.
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