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UN report says Syrian children used as human shields
According to a United Nations report, Syrian forces have used children as human shields and subjected them to both torture and execution.
A report of the United Nations has found out that Syrian troops have tortured children, executed them and used children as young as eight years as "human shields" during military raids against rebels.
According to the report, an estimated 1,200 children have been killed in the 15 month-long conflict. It reports that children were "used by soldiers and militia members as human shields, placing them in front of the windows of buses carrying military personnel into the raid on the village".
The UN described the Syrian government as one of the worst offenders on its annual "list of shame" of conflict countries where children are killed, tortured and forced to fight.
"Rarely, have I seen such brutality against children as in Syria, where girls and boys are detained, tortured, executed, and used as human shields," UN special representative for children in armed conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy told AFP.
