11 infants die in last 2 days of Jan. in Syria: UNICEF

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Harsh winter has added to woes of war-torn Syrians with 11 infant deaths over the last two days of January, UNICEF said late Thursday.

Underscoring the “extremely harsh [winter] conditions” besides violence and displacement in northern and eastern Syria, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said: “[The situation] has killed at least 32 children since December -- including 11 infants in the past two days.”

“In eastern Syria, persistent fighting around Hajin has forced thousands on a long, arduous journey almost 300 km to the north, to Al-Hol camp for internally displaced people,” the first top UNICEF official added.

Some 23,000 people -- mostly women and children -- have arrived at the Al-Hol camp after a three-day journey since last December, Fore noted.

She said that fighting in Ma'arat al-Nu'man in Idlib, northwestern Syria, killed three children, including “a teacher working for a UNICEF-supported partner and his son”.

More than 5,000 people have fled the region over the past three days alone, Fore said.

- Thousands of children suffer from acute malnutrition

In a statement on Twitter, UNICEF added: “Over 6,700 children [were] verified killed or injured since 2015.”

It added that nearly 358,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition require immediate treatment, going on to call for halting attacks in the war-torn country.

Fore insisted that children “are not and must never” be the target of violence.