Syrian toddler who laughed at bombs reaches Turkey with family

The three-year-old Syrian girl, who was taught by her father to laugh at the sound of bombs so that she would not be afraid, has reached safety in Turkey, reports said on Wednesday.

Salwa, who lived with her family near Idlib, the final major rebel-held stronghold in Syria and subject to repeated attacks by government forces, came to the world's notice in a viral video that showed her playing a game and laughing amid aerial bombing near her home.

Her father Abdullah Mohammad came up with a unique way to cope with the situation, teaching her that rather than being scared, she could laugh at the sound of bombs, using the sound of children letting off fireworks to show her that loud noises could be funny. The game helped his daughter stay calm and happy, he said.

Their game provoked an outpouring of sympathy and led the Turkish government to help them flee, the BBC reported.

They crossed into Turkey at the Cilvegozu border gate on February 25, it quoted Turkey's Anadolu Agency as reporting, adding they were reportedly taken to a refugee camp in Reyhanli in southern Turkey.

Nearly a million people have fled to the Syrian-Turkish border since December, amid heavy fighting in the Idlib region between Turkish-backed rebels and Syrian government forces.IANS