The photograph of three-year-old Alan Kurdi's lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach shocked the world in 2015. A German rescue organization has now named a ship after the toddler.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Lüdemann
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A German migrant rescue ship operating in the Mediterranean was renamed after Alan Kurdi on Sunday. Kurdi was the three-year-old Syrian Kurdish boy whose lifeless body washed up on a Turkish shore during the height of Europe's migrant crisis, galvanizing global opinion.
German charity Sea-Eye renamed the ship in the presence of Alan's father, Abdullah Kurdi, and aunt, Tima Kurdi, in Palma on Spain's Balearic Island of Mallorca.
"We are happy that a German rescue ship will carry the name of our boy. My boy on the beach must never be forgotten. Our grief for the loss of my wife and sons is shared by many, by thousands of families who have so tragically lost sons and daughters this way," Abdullah Kurdi said in a statement released by Sea-Eye.
Abdullah had fled the "Islamic State" and the Syrian civil war, deciding in 2015 to pay people smugglers to take him and his family from Turkey to Greece after Turkish authorities didn't grant the family the exit visas needed to join Tima in Canada.
The image of Alan Kurdi moved the world Image: Reuters/Stringer
The tiny boat capsized minutes after leaving Turkey, killing 11 people including Abdullah's wife, Rehanna, and two sons, Ghalib and Alan.
A photograph of Alan's lifeless body face down in the sand on a Turkish beach shocked the world, becoming a symbol of the migration crisis and rallying cry for humane action.
Sea-Eye says it has saved more than 14,000 people from drowning during dangerous boat crossings in the Mediterranean since it started operating in 2016.
The rescue ship was previously named Professor Albrecht Penck.
Kobani awaits Turkey's next move in northern Syria
Kobani on the Turkish border in northern Syria was the core of the Kurdish revolution in Rojava. DW looks at life inside Kobani, as Turkey continues moving heavy weapons to the Syrian border.
Image: DW/B. Gerdziunas
PKK graffiti in Kobani
Turkey sees no difference between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria and the PKK organization in Turkey. The PKK is also considered a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, however, the western allies have supported SDF in their fight against the "Islamic State" (IS) group.
Image: DW/B. Gerdziunas
Taking a stand
Adla Bakir, head of the Kongra Star organization, an umbrella for women’s groups in Rojava, recalls how she gave an oath to serve the people in the opening stages of the Kurdish revolution in 2011. The revolution’s emphasis on gender rights has empowered women to become fighters, politicians and activists.
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Protecting their neighborhood
Elderly women from the Society Protection Units set up nightly roadblocks in Kobani. The force is led by male and female volunteers, and is independent of the official police and armed forces. The volunteers are drawn from across all communes in the city, with the aim to swiftly mobilize forces in the event of an attack, and to prevent a repeat of the 2015 civilian massacre by IS.
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A welcome diversion
A Kurdish fighter serving with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Kobani enjoys some time with his son. He, like many other soldiers, is deployed in close proximity to his home and family. The Turkish border is a few hundred meters away.
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A grim reminder
The funeral of a Kurdish SDF fighter in Kobani. He was killed while fighting against IS forces in Deir Ezzor province in November. Despite US President Donald Trump's claim that IS has been defeated, the battle along the Euphrates river is far from over.
Image: DW/B. Gerdziunas
Remembering the dead
Martyrs' Center in Kobani. Following years of clandestine work, the center was able to open publicly following the revolution in 2011. It functions as a social hub, supporting the families of those killed by Turkish, Syrian or IS forces.
Image: DW/B. Gerdziunas
A brief respite
Soldiers from the SDF at a military base in Deir Ezzor province. Posters of the Kurdish ideological leader, Abdullah Öcalan and other prominent figures, adorn the walls. Following threats of an invasion by Turkey, some forces were redeployed from the fight against IS to the 500-kilometer (310 miles) long Turkish border.
Image: DW/B. Gerdziunas
A glimmer of hope?
Men at a Kebab shop in Kobani cautiously welcome the news that US forces will stay in Syria for the time being. The comments by US National Security Adviser John Bolton appeared to put the brakes on a withdrawal abruptly announced by Donald Trump last month and initially expected to be completed within weeks.
Image: DW/B. Gerdziunas
Protests gather pace
Demonstrators in Kobani, made up mostly of schoolchildren, protest against the Turkish shelling of Kurdish villages in November.
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Taking a break
Youths in Kobani make their way back from the funeral of a Kurdish fighter. Kurdish residents fear that another military onslaught is imminent.
