Family Of Tragic Syrian Migrant Boy Washed Up On Beach Fled ISIS For New Life

The family of two small boys whose bodies washed up on a beach in Turkey were Syrian refugees who had been trying to emigrate to Canada in search of a new life.

In a series of shocking photos published yesterday, three-year-old Aylan Kurdi was seen lying face down on the shore – prompting renewed calls for the UK to take in more refugees.

His five-year-old brother Galip also tragically died – when the flimsy boats that the pair were travelling on collapsed as they headed from Turkey to the Greek island of Kos. Their father, Abdullah Kurdi, is believed to have survived.

According to Turkish media, the family had fled the besieged town of Kobani last year in a bid to escape the advance of Islamic State militants.

Aylan’s aunt, Teema Kurdi, is a hairdresser who emigrated to Canada more than 20 years ago.

Speaking to the Ottawa Citizen, she explained that the family were the subject of a privately sponsored refugee application that was rejected because of problems with their file in Turkey.

She said: ‘I was trying to sponsor them, and I have my friends and my neighbours who helped me with the bank deposits, but we couldn’t get them out, and that is why they went in the boat.

‘I was even paying rent for them in Turkey, but it is horrible the way they treat Syrians there.’

Ms Kurdi explained that she was told of the deaths by her sister in law, adding: ‘She had got a call from Abdullah, and all he said was, ‘my wife and two boys are dead.’