Tens of thousands of children killed or maimed due to Syrian conflict: UN official

Tens of thousands of Syria's children have been killed or maimed due to conflicts in the Middle East country, the UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, Kevin Kennedy, said on Friday, adding that Syria conflict was "robbing" children of their future.

"Children have lost their lives to air strikes, mortars, artillery, shooting, car bombs and improvised explosive devices," Kennedy said.

He said that parties to the conflict in Syria should stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure including schools, education facilities and personnel.

He noted that a quarter of schools in the country can no longer be used because they are destroyed, damaged, sheltering thousands of displaced families or being used for military purposes.

The grim warning came in a statement Kennedy has released on the occasion of Universal Children's Day, observed this Friday.

He said the Syrian conflict is having a "particularly heinous" impact on the country's youngest citizens.

He listed recent incidents, such as the deaths of 19 children who were struck by a missile while playing in the city of Homs.

"The conflict is a living nightmare for everyone, particularly for children, robbing them of their childhood and their futures," Kennedy said. "We are closer than ever to losing a whole generation of children to despair, illiteracy and darkness."

The statement called for all parties to the Syrian conflict to implement a nationwide ceasefire and put an end to the fighting. Enditem