29
March
CHILD LOST AMID THE CHAOS (A boy, 10, held for ransom and most likely murdered, is one of many victims of a current onslaught of kidnappings in the war-torn nation)
One evening in September, 10 year old Ali al-Lami was walking to a neighbor’s house to fetch bread when three armed men grabbed him and pushed him into their sedan and sped away. Two day later, a stranger called Ali’s parents and said he was holding their son for ransom and put Ali on the phone. Ali’s father recalls, He was terrified and crying. All they let him say was ‘Hello, Papa. That was the last time we heard his voice. The al-Lamis paid the equivalent of $10,000 in ransom,