The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has issued a statement indicating that the PYD militia has recently kidnapped a minor from the town of Manbij in the eastern rural Aleppo region. The reported motive behind the abduction is purportedly for compulsory recruitment into the militia’s ranks.
According to the SNHR, the incident involves a 14-year-old boy named Fadi al-Saghir, who was reportedly apprehended by members of the so-called Revolutionary Youth Organization associated with the PYD militia on August 6.
The militia members took the young boy to one of their recruitment centers. Disturbingly, the rights group said that neither of the child’s parents were informed of his detention, and he has been denied communication with his family or any visitation rights. The SNHR expressed concern that the minor might be coerced into participating in both direct and indirect military activities.
The SNHR further highlighted that there are reportedly around 267 children who remain subjected to mandatory conscription within the PYD militia’s camps.
Commenting on the issue, Abdulbasit Abdullatif, a member of the political committee of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), emphasized the need for substantial pressure on the PYD militia from its international backers and global human rights organizations. He asserts that without such pressure, the militia is likely to persist in the practice of abducting children and placing them in their camps for the purpose of compulsory recruitment.
Abdullatif strongly condemned the abduction of children by the PYD militia, deeming it a blatant violation of established international laws and regulations, including those related to child protection.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
