SAMS mourns the tragic death of our dear colleague and friend, Dr. Mohammed Alkos, who was killed this morning by a sniper. Dr. Alkos, a heroic general surgeon, was living in the besieged town of Zabadani, a neighboring town to Madaya. Dr. Alkos worked in a SAMS-supported field hospital. He was the only remaining physician in Zabadani. Dr. Alkos is survived by his wife, two sons, and daughter.
“Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of Dr. Alkos. He was a dear friend of mine and a valuable medical and public health leader,” said SAMS’s Dr. Ammar Ghanem. “Today, we lost an amazing individual who dedicated his life to serve others.”
SAMS sends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Alkos.
This poem was written by Dr. Alkos a month before his death. He exemplifies the bravery and spirit of our Syrian colleagues that we are proud and humbled to support.
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“Zabadani, oh Zabadani… Oh my soul bird
I swear to you God… Tell me why you are sad
They told me to leave and get some rest… poor lady.. She is hopeless
However, I want to say to her… What’s up oh pretty lady?
She said never flirt with me… Do you think I’m blaming?
The word “pretty” is cool… but reminds me of my sad past
Just look at me first.. and see my falling tears
They crucified me and destroyed me… They totally destroyed me
They put tanks on my land… on all of my high mountains
I asked her who did that… and you are the holy crestal
She said with a sad voice… the Assadian-Iranian army
They left no mosque on my land… they left no church, no market
They left no house… Oh my sadness
They fed me barrels of fire… I didn’t even ask them to feed me
They then buried me in a hole… They then set my coffin on fire above me
Before my days were sweet… I sang in my songs and happiness
Now my tears are rivers… I am sinking in my bleeding blood
Where are Aara and Nabou’… Where are Sultani palaces
Where is the tram and the station… Where is the great Kubra
Where is the western neighborhood… Where is the Medani route
The bridge, the Marah mosque… they were unexchangeable
They became (and God is seeing)… a large empty field
Where is the peach and apple… where is the Helwani grape
I told her did you forget the plain land… She said no I did not
Just let me stop here… I can’t bear remembering more
Stop opening my wounds… I want to die unconscious
Where is the Dalati family… Where is the Darsani family
Where is the rest and the rest… from Ghanem to Labawani
All of them have left me… and went somewhere on the great earth
Tomorrow they will forget me… I will be just an old memory
The tourists were my heart… my eyes and my eyebrows
Now they have left me and gone… when they saw me on fire
They became just a memory on my history… Please give me condolences
I cried so much and said to her… stop crying and suffering
We will never leave you alone… an easy victim for the murderer
After the night, dawn will come… after any destruction there will be a new building
We want to rebuild you a paradise… Oh my heart Zabadani”
