Alwaght- More than 35,000 children have escaped the ISIS-held city of Mosul, north of Iraq, since the national army initiated its operation to liberate the city back in October.
Based on the report, women and children are the main population suffering from possible ISIS retaliations on civilians in the city.
"Children are the innocent victims of any conflict and in this conflict are the most innocent victims," Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Representative in Iraq, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The UN representative says civilians who leave the terrorist rule in the city are psychologically harmed and the kids “are not smiling, they are sad”.
Once ISIS is forced out of Mosul, it will be important to "invest in children's services so this war doesn't continue,” Hawkins added.
The official did not provide the exact number of the children killed, but he said some of them had been targeted by snipers.
"We know that children who have been queuing up for water have been targets," he said, noting, "I saw a photograph of a child this morning who's been shot by a sniper queuing up for water."
The 35,000 children are among some 93,500 people who have fled Mosul since October 17, when Iraqi army troops and allied forces began an operation to retake ISIS last major urban stronghold in the Arab country.