Minors are bearing the brunt of an increase in violence in Syria's Idlib, Hama and Aleppo provinces, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Ted Chaiban said on Tuesday, as the Syrian troops seek to liberate some of the last remaining regions from terrorist control
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2019) Minors are bearing the brunt of an increase in violence in Syria's Idlib, Hama and Aleppo provinces, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director for the middle East and North Africa Ted Chaiban said on Tuesday, as the Syrian troops seek to liberate some of the last remaining regions from terrorist control."Children are bearing the brunt of intensifying violence in northwest Syria. More than 500 children were injured or killed in the first nine months of 2019, and at least 65 children have been killed or injured in the month of December alone," Chaiban said in a statement.
A Syrian Armed Forces offensive in the northwest of the country was launched last week to liberate regions from the control of the armed Syrian opposition and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (terrorist group banned in Russia) militants. Earlier on Tuesday, a Sputnik correspondent reported that the Syrian government forces had regained control over a number of settlements, including Jarjanaz, Qatrah, Sayyadi and Alheraki.
UNICEF's regional director outlined that those displaced due to the fighting must be protected at all costs, particularly with the onset of winter.
"The upsurge in violence and displacement comes as temperatures plummet around the region, bringing flooding and freezing rain. Children living in camps or other poorly insulated accommodation are exhausted from multiple displacements and particularly exposed to the cold, illness and in extreme cases death," Chaiban stated.
Since 2011, Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict between various opposition groups, including terrorist organizations, and the government led by President Bashar Assad. Idlib, which was designated a de-escalation zone in September 2018, remains one of the last territories outside the control of the central Syrian government.
