Young Syrians pay heavy toll in decade-long conflict

Children play along a street in a rebel-held part of the southern city of Deraa, Syria, in 2017. — Reuters

MOHAMMAD is five years old, Areej six and Dalaa 10. Syrian refugees in Turkey, these children have inherited a yearning for a country they know little to nothing about.

More than 3.6 million Syrians have found shelter from the decade-long conflict in neighbouring Turkey, including around 1.5 million children under the age of 15, according to official figures.