Surrender girl fled to safe Syrian village that was taken by Al Qaeda days later

Up to 150 killed in al-Shabaab Easter week massacre: Islamist terrorists single out Christians for beheading at Kenyan college
Two women who 'joined ISIS' and referred to themselves as 'real bad b****es' considered targeting slain NYPD officer's funeral as they are arrested for attempt to build and detonate bomb
Muslims to outnumber Christians worldwide by 2070: Islam will be only major religion to increase faster than world's population
Crack-smoking former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford must undergo major surgery to remove cancerous tumor from his abdomen
Climbdown on the 'gay discrimination' laws: Arkansas and Indiana both prepare new versions in bid to end furor over religious protection measures
Obama says 'historic' international pact will 'cut off every pathway' to a nuclear Iran but warns that 'our work is not yet done' because an agreement hasn't been laid out on paper
From rags to riches: Former factory girl now worth $7 BILLION is named China's richest woman after her company that makes glass for your iPhone goes public
Apple's first experiment with a watch was an iPhone with a velcro strap: Firm reveals how the project started - as analysts predict it will sell a MILLION in first weekend
Could implants give humans superpowers? Brain hack lets rats feel geomagnetic signals - and it may help the blind 'see'
Andreas Lubitz researched suicide methods and cockpit door security before crashing plane - and shouldn't even have been DRIVING on depression pills
Hooray! You CAN eat fast food after exercise: Burgers and chips are just as good as supplements for workout recovery, study claims
Bentley executive calls Ford's new Lincoln Continental a 'copy' of his $200,000 car on Facebook as two auto giants trade barbs
Murdered newlywed lawyer who was 'stabbed to death and robbed by female military school grad had solicited her on Craigslist for gay sex, thinking she was a man'
US Army to lift ban on arm and leg tattoos...but vulgar, racist or any ink visible while in uniform will still be prohibited
Disney to make live-action version of Winnie-the-Pooh with young indie director at the helm
'There's no question he did it': Harvey Weinstein 'did not deny groping Italian model in phone sting set up by police'
'There are better ways of wasting your tax dollars': Canadian doctor slams Pizza Hut for policy requiring a sick note for ONE day off in scathing letter
'Let's hope I don't get punched': Girl attempts to kiss random strangers in Grand Central Station - and captures the whole thing on camera
'King of Instagram' and gun-lover Dan Bilzerian releases public information film on responsible firearm use as part of deal to avoid jail after bomb-making charge... but his lack of enthusiasm is palpable
Boy, 10, jumped to his death at school because chess opponent failed to say 'checkmate' after beating him
It's important to un-wind: Kim brings back North Korea's 'pleasure troupe' of young women to entertain him
Putin threatens nuclear war: Russian leader will take any necessary step to drive Nato out of Baltics and defend Crimea
Nurse faces felony charges after 'driving half a mile until she reached street lights before stopping for cop who pulled her over on dark rural road'
EXCLUSIVE: Syrian girl who broke millions of hearts in 'surrender' picture fled to 'safe' city - only for it to be taken by brutal Al Qaeda fanatics days later

Hudea and her family are thought to have gone to Idlib two weeks ago
But Idlib fell to Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate at weekend after four day battle
Al Nusra's leader has now promised to bring in sharia law in the city
Already started burning banned items and two Christians killed by jihadists

Published: 11:05 EST, 2 April 2015 | Updated: 13:24 EST, 2 April 2015

View
comments

The little girl who broke millions of hearts after surrendering to a camera she mistook for a gun is now in the clutches of Al Qaeda, the MailOnline can exclusively reveal.

Four-year-old Hudea was pictured late last year by photographer Osman Sagirli in Atmeh refugee camp, just 10km from the border with Turkey.

She, her mother and three siblings are understood to have been living in the Syrian camp since Hudea's father was killed in the 2012 Hama massacre.

But two weeks ago, the family took a fateful decision to move south, towards the city of Idlib - only for it to fall into the hands of Al Qaeda's brutal Syrian affiliate at the weekend.

It means, once more, the family are in danger of becoming victims of a battle between the regime and rebels which has killed 220,000 since 2011 - 10,000 of whom were children.

Harrowing: Taken at the Atmeh refugee camp on Syria's border with Turkey, the image shows four-year-old Hudea frozen in fear with her arms raised and her lips tightly pursed

Hudea and her family left the camp two weeks ago; it is thought they headed for Idlib - now in the control of Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra. Pictured: An Al-Nusra fighter holds his group flag in front of Idlib's governor building

Sharia law: Al-Nusra have promised to bring in Sharia law in the city, and have already started burning things considered banned under Islam - like these cigarettes

The Nusra Front-led rebels is set impose Sharia law on the city, which is only the second state capital to fall from the grip of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

'We salute the people of Idlib and their stand with their sons, the Mujahideen, ... and God willing they will enjoy the justice of sharia, which will preserve their religion and their blood,' said Abu Mohamad al-Golani, Nusra Front's leader, in a recording released on Wednesday.

This is horrifying news for those living under the Nusra Front. The group group has a reputation for violence which is only rivaled by the horrors seen in ISIS-controlled territory.

Charlie Winter, of the Qilliam Foundation, warned: 'Jabhat al-Nusra is an outspoken al-Qaeda affiliate. It espouses a severe interpretation of Islam and sharia law.

'They have been known to execute women who are allegedly running brothels, and stone adulterers. It is a violent interpretation of sharia law.'

Indeed, the group appears to be all but following in the footsteps of ISIS, who have terrified the world with an onslaught of violence, including throwing people from the tops of buildings and getting small children to shoot so-called spies dead.

Worringly, the Nusra Front - who reiterated their allegiance to Al Qaeda in the last month - have said they want to create their own 'Islamic state'.

The group is known for its use of suicide bombers as it tries to achieve its goal, and has claimed responsibility for mass executions, murdered journalists and even priests in the past few years.

In the days since they took control of Idlib, there have been reports of two Christian men being executed, while the Vatican - citing local news sources - claimed a Greek Orthodox priest had been kidnapped by jihadists.

Fight: The city fell after a four day battle which saw fighters on both sides lose their lives

Flee: It is thought about 15,000 people ran from the city as the Nusra Front approached

Trauma: Save the Children reports many of the children were traumatised by what they had seen

For a child like Hudea, who has clearly already been left horribly traumatised by a war which has been raging her entire life, life under the strict sharia law is likely to be nothing be more terrifying.

But life is no better under the Syrian regime: indeed, it is al-Assad's fighters who were said to be behind the Hama massacre in which she lost her father.

Pro-government militia killed at least 55 people that day, going from house to house, murdering men, women and children.

It was after this the family fled north, to the camp near the border with Turkey, which has grown to become a home to 30,000 refugees.

But despite being so close to the safety of Turkey, the family appear to have never made it across.

Instead, for reasons unknown to MailOnline's source within the camp, they decided to leave the camp - venturing out into territory which has changed hands between the different rebel factions and the al-Assad regime numerous times over the last four years.

The MailOnline's source within the camp said: 'The child does not exist now in the camp. They fled to a village in Idlib about two weeks ago.'

Wherever they have gone, it means the family are trapped once more between three violent sides - none of which are prepared to stop until they have wiped the other off the face of the earth.

Relative safety: Many of the 15,000 are headed to refugee camps like Atmeh, near the Turkish border - but it is not known where Hudea and her small family are

Civil war: Fighting has been going on Hudea's entire life, killing 10,000 children since 2011. Pictured: Atmeh, her home after he father was killed in 2012

And living in an area recently won by one side, does not guarantee survival - or peace.

A source in the Syrian military force told EA World View: 'We have an obligation to liberate the city... I swear to god the highest we are not scared.'

Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at University of Oklahoma, was also certain Damascus would not give up without a fight.

He told Bloomberg: 'Assad will likely bomb Idlib so that its captors find little peace in their new prize.'

Mr Winter thinks it is unlikely they will have gone to areas controlled by the Syrian government. One suspects the memory of what they did to her husband will mean Hudea's mother will keep her family away from al-Assad's forces.

But villages not in the control of the regime have come under attack since Nusra Front's assault on Idlib - which itself sent 15,000 people fleeing for their lives.

Ironically, many are making their way to the refugee camps in the north - like Atmeh, the safe haven Hudea has just left.

And now there are reports of the regime using chlorine-filled bombs against the towns surrounding Idlib - a new horror for the little girl and her family to contend with.

One can only imagine how Hudea, caught in the crossfire in a fight she is too young to understand and so scared already she surrenders to cameras, will respond to any of this.