A UN report describing terrible atrocities carried out by Islamic State militants in Syria says children as young as 10 are being recruited and trained at ISIS camps as fighters.
The report, based on 480 interviews and and evidence collected between 20 January and 15 July, chronicles the unimaginable brutality and human cost of the Syrian conflict.
The report by the independent international commission of inquiry was released on Wednesday. The panel was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate human rights violations, war crimes, and massacres carried out by the warring parties in the years-old conflict.
The report stated that the continuous influx of foreign fighters and the success of extremist groups - such the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham - were among the factors which had contributed to a spillover of violence affecting international peace and stability. "Risks of the conflict spreading further are palpable", it emphasized.
Fighting has engulfed civilian areas, destroying the barest possibility of normal life, according to the report. The impact has been particularly grave for women and children, whose most basic rights are being infringed daily. "Hundreds of civilians are dying each day as the fighting goes on with no regard to law or to conscience," said Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission.
In areas under ISIS control, particularly in the north and northeast of the country, Fridays are regularly marked by executions, amputations and lashings in public squares. Civilians, including children, are urged to watch. Bodies of those killed are placed on display for several days, terrorizing the local population. Women have been lashed for not abiding by ISIS's dress code. In Ar-Raqqah, children as young as 10 are being recruited and trained at ISIS camps. ISIS has forcibly displaced Kurdish communities in northern Syria. Journalists and other media workers are systematically targeted.
The Commission reports that "Members of ISIS have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo and Ar-Raqqah governorates. "ISIS poses a clear and present danger to civilians, and particularly minorities, under its control in Syria and in the region," Pinheiro warned.
Other non-State armed groups continue to commit violations, including summary executions and shelling deliberately targeting civilians.
The Government also is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, with impunity. Between January and July, hundreds of men, women and children were killed every week by the Government force's indiscriminate firing of missiles and barrel bombs into civilian-inhabited areas.
The report also states that, in April and May, Government forces used chemical agents, likely chlorine, in eight separate incidents in western Syria. Children are increasingly recruited by non-State armed groups and by the Government's Popular Committees to participate in hostilities and provide support. The breakdown of family and community networks, often due to the death or disappearance of men, has left women and girls vulnerable and primarily responsible for the care of their families. This vulnerability persists even in their lives as refugees, with sexual violence and child marriage on the rise in certain camps.
The Commission called on the international community to impose an arms embargo on Syria in the wake of the fact that some states continue to deliver mass shipments of arms, artillery and aircraft to the Syrian Government.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
December 19, 2025 15:10 ET U.S. inflation data and interest rate decisions by major central banks were the highlights of this busy week for economics news flow. Employment data and survey results on the housing markets also gained attention in the U.S. In Europe, the European Central Bank and Bank of England announced their policy decisions and macroeconomic projections.