Kobani: Revolutionary Youth kidnap Mahmoud
Yekiti Media
The Revolutionary Youth of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) kidnapped 13-year-old Mahmoud Muhammad Haji Khalil from the city of Kobani in order to recruit him into their ranks.
According to a local source, the child’s father has been working with the PKK since 2012, and his older brother is also in its ranks, while the mother has only her young son Mahmoud, who is the third and last in the family.
The mother of the minor Mahmoud appealed for the return of her son, stressing that his loss has caused a tragedy inside the house and increased her suffering.
These incidents come despite SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signing a commitment plan in 2019 with the United Nations Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba to end and prevent the recruitment of children under the age of 18 and their use in military actions.
In early May 2025, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced the dissolution of the PKK during a conference in Sulaymaniyah in the Iraqi Kurdistan region at the invitation of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, but the practices of affiliated organizations continue on the ground.
