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(Image Source: The Guardian)
BY TYLER FINE
ANCHOR LAUREN GORES
UN officials worry the conflict in Syria has escalated to new, even more extreme levels
on both sides of the battle. NBC explains —
“The UN now accuses Syria of killing and torturing children and using them as human
shields. Syria is launching a nationwide offensive, and apparently making no distinction between
fighters and civilians.”
A UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict released the report after interviewing
Syrian citizens, children, and former soldiers. In an interview with BBC, Rahidka Coomaraswamy
explains the stories she heard in Syria.
"We also had testimonies and saw children who had been tortured, and who carried the
torture marks with them. We also heard of children being used - this was recounted to
us by some children - of being put on tanks and being used as human shields so that the
tanks would not be fired upon."
Coomaraswamy says it’s not just the Syrian military using children, but rebel forces
as well. The UN Security Council says it fears another massacre in Syria as violence continues
to escalate. Fox News reports—
“The UN says that the violence is getting worse and getting more chaotic, and the efforts
to get civilians out of harm’s way haven’t been enough.”
According to the New York Times, a spokesman for the UN’s Syrian envoy Kofi Annan, announced
plans to increase international pressure on Syria. Annan also plans to join together a
group of world leaders to discuss how to proceed.