11 infants die in last 2 days of Jan. in Syria: UNICEF
At least 32 Syrian children, including 11 infants have died in the past two days due to harsh winter conditions, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said on Thursday.
- Middle East
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 12:18 | 01 February 2019
- Modified Date: 12:19 | 01 February 2019
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.