PKK/KCK has armed 679 children

ANKARA

PKK/KCK terrorist organization has currently armed 679 children who were forcibly taken away from their families, according to a security source.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said PKK/KCK wants support from women and youngsters.

It does not hesitate to recruit teenagers who are impressionable, the source added.

The PKK/KCK uses psychological traps to attract children to its ranks, hiding its terror motives under the grab of bravery and self-sacrifice.

The children in PKK/KCK ranks are aged 14-18.

The terror group recruited 47 children below 15 years of age over the past nine months, by threatening or kidnapping them, the source said.

Between the years 1990-2018, PKK/KCK has recruited a total of 1,466 children under the age of 15 by force.

In 2014, the terror group recruited 305 children, while these numbers are 424 in 2015, 222 in 2016 and 88 last year.

The number has drastically dropped owing to the efforts of Turkish security forces.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.

Reporting by Muhammed Boztepe:Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet