A SYRIAN refugee who was tortured for nine months and saw his children narrowly escape a deadly bomb attack today thanked the people of Inverclyde for helping them rebuild their lives.

Dad-of-three Sahl Abd Al Wahid, 51, fled his war-torn home city of of Damascus five years ago in search of a better life for him and his family after their home and grocery shop were destroyed, leaving them with nothing.

He is now living in Greenock with wife Zahriyyah and their two sons Mohammed, 10, and Moaz, five, and daughter Tasniem, seven.

His opposition to the Syrian government had led to him being detained for nine months and tortured at the hands of the most notorious, brutal unit of the country’s army.

The final straw came when an attack took place close to the school his children were attending which left 23 youngsters dead.

Fearing for the safety of his family, Sahl took the decision to flee his homeland.

Sahl told the Telegraph: “It was terrible.

“Whatever I tell you, you wouldn’t believe what actually happened.

“After I was released my eldest two children were in school and there was shelling around the school and after that I decided I wasn’t going to stay there and that we were moving to Lebanon.

“It’s worse than you can imagine, it was all killing, destruction and war.

“I left everything I owned there - our house was totally destroyed.

“I had a grocery shop which was also totally destroyed.

“We also had a farm which we had to leave behind.

“I left my parents, family, friends and neighbours.

“I feel like my soul has been taken away from me, as if I’ve lost a limb from my body.

“It was a very difficult decision, especially because I left my mum behind.

“She is 80 years old and very sick but I made the decision for my kids.

“I wanted a better life for them and for them to get an education.”

The family lived in Lebanon after they quit Syria in 2011 but the conditions there were horrendous and the family spent four years living in a tent.

In November last year they arrived in Inverclyde, and Sahl says they have been made to feel at home as they rebuild their lives.

They are one of six Syrian families rehoused by Inverclyde Council, with another due later this month and three more arriving by the end of the year.

A further 12 families from Afghanistan are also now living locally.

Sahl has heaped praise on the people of Inverclyde for their warm welcome and generosity.

He and other refugees met Provost Robert Moran – representing the area – at a special reception in the Municipal Buildings.

Sahl said: “The people have been very, very good the way they treat me and my family.

“It is safe here.

“We’ve had a really nice welcome.

“The house I lost in Syria, I have found it here. My children are in school and they are happy. The school is really nice, their teachers are very nice to them and they all have friends now.

“They have made friends already.

“I would like to thank everyone very, very much because they have provided me, my wife and my children with a new life.

“The UK has provided a home with everything and I’m hoping little by little I will get over everything that’s happened in Syria. I didn’t have anything when I came here. The Scottish people have treated me and my family very well and I haven’t seen anything but good.”