Millions of Syrian children at risk of malnutrition: UN aid organisation

Beirut: An international aid organization says millions of children in Syria are at risk of malnutrition as the conflict rages well into its third year and food production is collapsing across the country. [caption id=“attachment_1130353” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Children at a temporary refugee camp in Syria. AP image[/caption] Save the Children aid group says four million Syrians — more than half of them children — are unable to produce or buy enough food. Thousands are living in battle zones around Syria’s major cities, cut off from access all but the bare minimum foodstuffs needed to survive, the U.S.-based group said in a report on the state of hunger in Syria. The dramatic appeal was released on Monday. It says one in 20 children in areas around Damascus is severely malnourished. Severe food shortages are being compounded by an explosion in prices for basics, the report said. AP