On January 10, 2021, a surprise attack carried out by Syrian regime forces and their allies (we believe that Russian Wagner Group mercenaries participated in the attack) on contact lines with the Syrian National Army in al Enkawi village in the northwestern suburbs of Hama governorate, resulted in the deaths of a number of Syrian National Army fighters. SNHR notes that among those killed was a 16-year-old child, Muhammad Sfouk al Salloum, from Shahranaz village in the suburbs of Hama governorate, who was conscripted with the Syrian National Army’s Jeish al Nasr faction.
We note that this child is the sixth juvenile conscript whose death we have recorded during participation in the military operations on the side of factions of the Armed Opposition during the last nine years since the formation of factions of the Armed Opposition up to now.
We condemn all operations involving the conscription of children, more particularly those aged under 15, and call on all the parties to conflict to end such conscription, demobilize all children enlisted in their forces, and work to reunite and reintegrate them into their families and communities.
