The aunt of two Syrian boys who drowned with their mother off the coast of Turkey says she blames herself for sending her brother money to pay for human smugglers, and that her grieving brother鈥檚 wish is to see the smuggling stopped.
Tima Kurdi鈥檚 comments come on the same day that her brother Abdullah Kurdi in Kobani, Syria, the city they had fled in hopes of a safer life.
Kurdi鈥檚 words also came just as Turkey's state-run news agency announced four suspected human traffickers had been arrested in connection with the drowning of 12 migrants, including the Kurdis.
Tima Kurdi told reporters outside her home in Port Coquitlam, B.C., about the events that led to the tragedy, which grabbed the world鈥檚 attention after a photo of three-year-old Alan鈥檚 lifeless body washed up on a Turkish beach Wednesday.
Kurdi said that Abdullah was desperate for a better life for his family, because of the threat of bombs and from ISIS, whose militants had beheaded a relative in an attack on Kurds. She said her brother sent a photo of the gruesome murder.
Kurdi said Abdullah had told her weeks ago that a rubber boat from Turkey to Greece cost 1,200 Euros per adult, 鈥渂ut if I鈥檓 going to take a jet boat, which is safer and is faster, it鈥檚 2,000 Euros per person.鈥�
Kurdi said she suggested he ought to take the jet boat, and wired him $5,000. She said she warned her brother that she had seen a news report about people selling fake life jackets.
鈥淢y kids (are) the world to me,鈥� she recalled him saying. 鈥淚 would never buy a fake one.鈥�
After speaking to Abdullah over the phone Friday, Kurdi said he expressed a desire that 鈥渟omebody stop the smugglers.鈥�
鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 want any of those families to do the same thing and cross that water,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not worth it to lose your own kids and your life.鈥�
Kurdi said Abdullah had originally wanted to come to Canada but turned his sights to Sweden, after his brother Mohammed鈥檚 application to Canada was returned because he did not have a UN refugee document.
Kurdi said Abdullah had attempted to get the same document from a UN office in Turkey, but he was turned away and told to stay in Turkey and find a job. He did find a job there, in a factory where he also slept at night, while he waited for his wife and boys to join him.
Kurdi said she does not blame the Canadian government for what happened. 鈥淓very country has their rules,鈥� she said.
However, she said she hopes the document will no longer be required in the future.
鈥淚 think the whole world is supposed to come and open their doors for them, to help them, even temporarily.鈥�
Kurdi said her brother was heartbroken about burying his children but that he is 鈥減roud鈥� his kids can 鈥渂e the wake-up call to the world.鈥�
With files from The Canadian Press
