'It's deadly': Syrian doctor in Poland warns migrants against journey through Belarus

FILE PHOTO: Syrian doctor Kassam Shahadah holds a phone during a funeral of the 19-year-old migrant from Syria Ahmed Al-Hassan, who drowned in Bug river, in the village of Bohoniki near Sokolka, Poland, November 15, 2021. Picture taken November 15, 2021. REUTERS/Marko Djurica/File Photo

GRAJEWO, Poland (Reuters) - Syrian doctor Kassam Shahadah settled in Poland as a war refugee three years ago and now volunteers on its border to help desperate Middle East migrants trying to enter after a perilous trek through freezing forest.

He feels lucky to have won residence through asylum. And though he understands the same aspirations to life in the European Union in the new wave of migrants, he has seen enough in his volunteer work to advise them: Don't do it this way.