A boy, identified as Abdul Rahman Zakariya Sedou, born in 2008, from Shenka village, which is administratively a part of Afrin city in northwestern Aleppo governorate, was abducted for military conscription on July 31, 2023, by the Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) al-Shabiba al-Thawriya, (Revolutionary Youth) faction, also known as the ‘Joanne Schurchkar’, in al-Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo city. He was taken to an SDF recruitment center.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that Abdul Rahman’s family has not been notified of what has happened to him, and he is forbidden to contact them or receive any visits from them. We are concerned that he will be forced to participate in direct and indirect military action.
It should be noted that approximately 246 children are currently conscripted in SDF military training camps.