Move Aussie kids in Syrian camps: charity
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Australian women and children languishing in camps in northeast Syria must be urgently moved as a US withdrawal paves the way for a Turkish invasion, a leading charity says.
Save the Children Australia has urged the federal government to help more than 40 children in the camps – most under the age of five – as the region braces for a Turkish assault.
The White House said on Monday US forces would move aside, clearing the way for a long-threatened Turkish military operation across the border targeting the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.
The charity’s chief executive Paul Ronalds said there was always a limited window of opportunity for Australia to accept help from the US to repatriate the women and children.
“With the news that the US will withdraw its forces that window is rapidly closing,” he said on Monday. “We urge the Australian government to urgently move the Australian children and women in the camps to safety, with a view to repatriating them.”
He said the children had lived through conflict, bombardment and acute deprivation.
“These children are innocent victims of the conflict and must be treated as such. They, along with the Australian women, must be moved to safety as an immediate priority,” Ronalds said.
With AAP
Pearl Dy is a community manager and journalist. She is passionate about business and development particularly involving not-for-profits, charity and social entrepreneurship.
