At least 250 young boys jailed in northeast Syria: UN

By Bayram Altug

GENEVA (AA) - Hundreds of young boys are being held in jails in northeast Syria, implying area under YPG/PKK invasion, the UN Children’s Fund said Thursday.

"At least 250 boys, some as young as 9, are held in detention, though the actual number may be much higher," UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado told a news conference in Geneva to announce the latest report on the children's situation in Syria.

Mercado said nearly 28,000 children of "foreign fighters," allegedly associated with armed groups, remain trapped in northeastern Syria, mostly in displacement camps, implying the area under invasion by YPG/PKK terrorists.

The PKK which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU, has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants in its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

Also speaking at the news conference was UNICEF Representative in Syria Fran Equiza who said more than 5 million children, of which 2.6 million are internally displaced, in need of humanitarian aid in Syria.

At least 1,106 children lost their lives in Syria, he said, which is the highest number since the start of the civil war in the country in 2011.

This year, the number stands at 657 by the end of September, he said.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet in Ankara