UNICEF: At least 652 kids were killed in Syria in 2016

A Syrian child runs down the street.
(Image credit: Abd Doumany/AFP/Getty Images)

The Syrian civil war began in 2011, and a new UNICEF report says 2016 has been the deadliest year of the conflict for children, with at least 652 killed.

Children have been killed in attacks against schools, playgrounds, parks, and hospitals. UNICEF says that at least 255 kids were killed in or near schools, and 1.7 million children are not able to attend school. Some children are dying from preventable diseases, as they have no access to medical care, and others are killed by landmines. UNICEF also found that the number of child soldiers is on the rise, with at least 851 recruited last year by armed groups, more than twice as many as in 2015.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.