Five children have been killed, 26 wounded and estimated 80,000 children have been displaced since Turkey began its offensive in northeast Syria on October 9, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a press release on Tuesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd October, 2019) Five children have been killed, 26 wounded and estimated 80,000 children have been displaced since Turkey began its offensive in northeast Syria on October 9, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a press release on Tuesday."The latest estimates put the number of children displaced since 9 October at 80,000," the release said. "Five children have been killed and 26 injured."
According to UNICEF, some 2,000 children have now arrived in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and are housed in the Badarash camp in the city of Dohuk.
UNICEF teams on the ground have identified nine unaccompanied children, six of whom were reunited with their families, the release said.
In addition, humanitarian workers are providing water, food, hygiene items, as well as vaccinations against polio and measles, the release added.
UNICEF also noted that the repaired water station in the Al Hasakah province is now functioning at 70-80 percent capacity, and it is essential for repair teams to access the facility because more than 200,000 children rely on it for water.
On October 9, Turkey launched a military offensive in northeast Syria with a stated goal to clear the border area of Kurdish fighters and establish a safe zone. Turkey considers the Kurdish forces in Syria to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which it has classified as a terrorist organization.
The Syrian government said the offensive is an act of aggression and it violates Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
