Three children were subjected to severe torture by Turkish troops after they were captured whilst trying to illegally cross the border from north Syria into Turkey, according to a report by the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR).

The SOHR also reported that 12 people were killed and 20 injured in similar incidents by Turkish border guards in the first six months of 2022.

In the recent incident, the three children were trying to enter Turkey from an area in the countryside of Amuda, a border town northeast of Al-Hasakah, on Wednesday.

The Turkish guards detained the three and reportedly beat them with sharp objects before returning them to Syrian territory.

12 people, three children among them, were killed in different areas along the Syrian-Turkish border by Turkish troops during the first six months of 2022. A further 20 civilians, also including three children, were injured in such incidents.