Conjoined twins born in Syria war zone By Kerry Alexandra

BBC News Published duration 12 August 2016 Related Topics Syrian civil war

image copyright Syrian Arab Red Crescent

A mother has given birth to conjoined twins in a part of Syria that has seen some of the war's heaviest fighting.

Nawras and Moaz, who are joined at the chest with protruding intestines, were born in the city of Douma in July.

They have now been safely transferred by ambulance to a children's hospital in nearby Damascus.

Syrian doctors had appealed for help from the World Health Organization, saying the twins would die if they were unable to undergo surgery.

image copyright SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT

The twins travelled with their mother and aunt and are said to be in good health.

People have have offered their prayers on a Syrian Red Crescent Facebook post , with one saying "God bless you and protect you".

image copyright SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT

Douma is just north of Damascus and has seen heavy fighting and prolonged shelling since the war began, making it hard for humanitarian aid to reach it.

The local branch of Syrian Arab Red Crescent (one of 82 across the country) however, has continued working in the area and managed in the last 18 months to get supplies through to needy people.

They also provide an ambulance service, general first aid, social support and even food for the residents of the area.

They shared these images on their Twitter and Facebook accounts to raise awareness of the ongoing war in Syria and their appeal to raise funds to continue their work there.

Conjoined twins - the facts

Conjoined twins develop from a single fertilised egg and are therefore always identical and of the same sex

It is unknown why the embryo does not complete the process of separating into identical twins

Records over the past 500 years have shown around 600 sets of conjoined twins survived infancy - more than 70% of these were female

Despite medical advancements, surgical separation is still very rare today