Aleppo to Kashmir: This year’s 9 powerful images you can’t look away from

A crying Rohingya mother in a yellow headscarf cradling her five-week-old infant son who died after their boat capsized on Thursday is one of the most powerful Reuters images of Muslim refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar.

There’s something striking about a photograph capturing pain and defiance, happiness and loss in a way words can’t, making it impossible to look away. Here are some of the most moving images from 2017 so far that capture heartbreak, hope and death in their most vulnerable form. These pictures were so powerful, they ended up being remembered as the lasting faces of those historical moments.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir), August 2017

It takes only one picture to see the pain. Assistant sub-inspector Abdul Rashid was shot at by suspected militants in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district and died of his injuries at the hospital. An image showing his five-year-old daughter weeping at his wreath-laying ceremony in Srinagar moved social media. (Waseem Andrabi/HT Photo)

Syria, April 2017

A videographer from Aleppo was caught in the middle of a suicide bombing in Syria and saw a bleeding child. Instead of clicking an award-worthy picture, Abd Alkader Habak chose to rescue the child, becoming the internet’s hero. Habak said he was not sure whether the boy survived as he handed him over to emergency services and went back to the blast site. The attack left at least 126 people dead, including scores of children. (Photo: Twitter)

Birmingham, April 2017

This photograph of a young woman, Saffiyah Khan, visibly amused at an irritated English Defence League protester instantly went viral. It was captured during a demonstration by the far-right group in Birmingham city centre. (Joe Giddens/PA)

Pulwama (Jammu and Kashmir), March 2017

An HT photograph of an anguished Kashmiri boy with tears rolling down his cheeks became symbolic of the human suffering sweeping the region earlier this year. The image shows nine-year-old Burhan Fayaz crying at the funeral of his friend Amir Nazir, a civilian who was killed during an encounter in Pulwama. “Amir was like my brother. Who will I play with now,” an inconsolable Burhan asked. (Waseem Andrabi / HT Photo)

Texas, August 2017

In Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath, a Texan stopped by his flooded house to grab some stuffed toys and games for his kids but not before taking a moment to play the piano. “I really think God is going to do something completely new here. I am excited to see the new beauty in the suffering,” he posted on Instagram. (Photo: aricharding Instagram)

Budgam (Jammu and Kashmir), May 2017

A video showing a youth allegedly tied to an army jeep as a human shield against stone pelters went viral on social media earlier this year. The video was reportedly shot in Beerwah area of Budgam district where miscreants disrupted election during the bypoll to Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency by pelting stones. (Screengrab of a video tweeted by former J-K CM Omar Abdullah)

Douma (Syria), June 2017

A table set with iftar feast in the middle of broken-down buildings and rubble in Syria’s Douma during Ramzan became the symbol of resilience in the face of death. Douma has been a major flashpoint for conflict in the six-year-old civil war. This image, shared widely on social media, with the caption ‘life despite death’. (Photo: European Photopress Agency)

Washington, September 2017

A group of golfers were photographed playing a round at the Beacon Rock Golf Course in North Bonneville, Washington, while a devastating wildfire raged in the tree-lined hills behind them. The striking image was clicked by amateur photographer Kristi McCluer, according to fact-checking website Snopes.com

The massive fire shown is believed to have been started after a teenager set off a smoke bomb. The image was posted to the golf course’s Facebook page on 6 September 2017 with the caption “Our golfers are committed to finishing the round!”