de Volkskrant - 'Nieuw bewijs dat Koerden kindsoldaten inzetten in Syrië'

Pieter Hotse Smit reports on new evidence provided by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that Kurdish armed groups used child soldiers in their fight last year against the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS). Since then, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have made efforts to demobilize child soldiers as part of an agreement with the NGO Geneva Call.

Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC) Executive Director Mohammad Al Abdallah praises Kurdish forces’ efforts to keep children out of the Syria conflict, yet he is skeptical that the Kurds are following through on their promises. Al Abdallah also notes that other armed groups such as ISIS, the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and Al-Nusra Front are guilty of using child soldiers.

*This article is originally published in Dutch.

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