Two Syrian teenagers who were forcibly recruited by the YPG terrorist group described harsh conditions and practices inside the group’s camps, saying many other minors were also held in the group’s camps under similar conditions, according to interviews by Anadolu Agency (AA).
The teenagers, identified as 16-year-old Bekir Feyiz Beleş and 17-year-old Hüsam Ibrahim Casim, said they were detained in December 2025 while attempting to cross illegally into Türkiye to find work. Both said they were stopped near the town of Ayn al-Arab and later forced into military service by the YPG.
Hüsam, from the Manbij district of Aleppo province, said they were transferred to Hasakah, where they were compelled to undergo military and political training. He said fingerprints were taken under threat of force and that those who resisted were beaten.
“They pressured us constantly,” Hüsam said. “When we protested, they forced us to the ground and beat us.”
He described poor living conditions, including cold weather, lack of hot water and sleep deprivation. According to Hüsam, most of those held in the camp were under 18 and included youths from different ethnic backgrounds, as well as some foreign nationals who he said had also been detained against their will.
Bekir, originally from the central Syrian city of Homs, said he was sent from Ayn al-Arab to a camp near Raqqa, east of the Euphrates River, which was under the group’s control before the Syrian army’s advance.
He said food and water were scarce, at times limited to bread and tomatoes for several days, and that escape attempts were discouraged through threats of violence.
Both teenagers said they regained their freedom after Syrian government forces advanced into the area, prompting the armed group to withdraw. They said they later surrendered to Syrian authorities.
Footage released by the group showing fighters killed in clashes has also highlighted the presence of minors among its ranks.
