A seven-year-old girl who made headlines for her depiction of the siege of Aleppo on Twitter has issued an open letter asking U.S. president Donald Trump to “save the children and people of Syria.”
Bana Alabed now resides in Turkey after being rescued from Allepo in December. In the letter, she says she lived her whole life in the “City of Death” where “I could not play.”
READ MORE: Bana Alabed, Syrian girl with viral Twitter account, safely evacuated from Aleppo
Alabed said her school was destroyed in a bombing in which “some of my friends were killed.”
She says her life has improved since leaving Syria as she can now go out and play safely, and adds that she realizes she is one of the lucky ones.
“That is why peace is important for everyone including you,” Alabed tells Trump in the letter.
“You must do something for the children of Syria because they are like your children and deserve peace like you,” Alabed said. “If you promise me you will do something for the children of Syria, I am already your new best friend.”
A draft executive order seen by Reuters that Trump is expected to sign in the coming days would block the entry of refugees from war-torn Syria and suspend the entry of any immigrants from Muslim-majority Middle Eastern and African countries Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Libya and Yemen while permanent rules are studied.
READ MORE: Donald Trump set to slam door on immigrants from 7 countries
Trump is also expected to order the Pentagon and State Department to produce a plan in the coming days for setting up “safe zones” for refugees in Syria and neighboring countries.
Over 360,000 social media users follow Alabed’s Twitter account, which has been criticized in the past as either being fake or a “propaganda” tool.
With files from wire services