PKK/YPG terrorists kidnap 14-year-old in northern Syria to force fighting

The terrorist organisation PKK/YPG has kidnapped a 14-year-old boy from Raqqa province in northern Syria to recruit him into its armed ranks, spokesman for a Kurdish group has announced.

Spokesperson of the opposition Kurdish group 'Independent Kurdish Relation' Redor al Ahmad said that 14-year-old AH was kidnapped by the PKK/YPG terrorists in Raqqa.

Ahmed stated that the terrorist organisation prevented the abducted children from communicating with their families.

The PKK/YPG kidnaps or detains children and young people and takes them to so-called training camps for armed training.

The terrorist organisation has abducted more than 20 children since the beginning of the year in the regions it occupied in Aleppo, Raqqa, the Deir Ezzor and Hasakah provinces to recruit them to its armed cadres.

PKK kidnapped more than 1,200 children in 2022

The UN's 2022 Children in Annual Armed Conflicts report said that over 1,200 children were abducted and coerced into fighting by the PKK and its Syrian offshoot YPG.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave concern over the exploitation of children by the PKK, urging an end to their recruitment and the release of all children held in their ranks. The use of minors as combatants is a violation of international law.

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.