Iraqi children of Falluja may suffer extreme violence, says UNICEF

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 20,000 children are still under siege in Fallujah, the Iraqi stronghold of the Islamic State near the capital Baghdad, at the risk of being separated from their families and forcibly recruited for fighting, warned the UN Fund Children (UNICEF) on Wednesday.

"We are concerned with the protection of children in a context of extreme violence," said UNICEF Representative in Iraq, Peter Hawkins, in a statement.

"Children are at risk of forced recruitment to fight" within the besieged city and "separation from their families" if they can leave, he added.

Supported by Shiite militias and air-led coalition the US attacks, the Iraqi armed forces launched an offensive on May 23 to recapture Fallujah, located 50 kilometers west of Baghdad.

The attack on Falluja began what is expected to be one of the greatest battles ever waged against the Islamic State. She was the first city in Iraq to fall into the hands of ultrarradicais Sunni militants in January 2014.

About 50,000 civilians remain there, according to the United Nations (UN). Iraqi security forces operating in Falluja systematically separating men and boys over 12 years the families to investigate possible ties to the Islamic State.