MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish Armed Forces have arrested 21 alleged Islamic State (ISIL), also known as Daesh, militants crossing over from Syria accompanied by 22 children, the General Staff said Thursday.
24 January 2016, 15:45 GMT
The military operation against illegal Daesh border crossings was conducted on Wednesday. In a separate operation, the armed forces detained four presumed Daesh members.
The Turkish military did not speculate on what role children played in Daesh plans, but a UN children’s rights envoy said last December that Daesh militants had kidnapped close to 1,400 boys and girls in conflict zones in the past four years to use them as soldiers and sex slaves.
Last week, the Turkish military captured 23 suspected Daesh members and 21 children who were trying to cross into Turkey from Syria.
