Do these photos prove that the Turkish forces are teaching children in Syria to bear arms?

The claim

According to accounts and Facebook pages, the Turkish army began teaching children in schools innortheastern Syria about weapons in preparation for their recruitment.

And a page titled (Naz Seyed) published the allegation referred to in a Facebook post on January 13, in which it said that children in the cities of Ras al-Ain in Hasaka countryside, and (Girê Spi) Tal Abyad, north of Raqqa, are undergoing courses. Weapon training by the Turkish army in preparation for their recruitment.

The page relied on the allegation on two photo/graphs showing children in a classroom, some of them holding electronic items in their hands, and people in military uniforms in front of them.

The pictures and the aforementioned claim were published on many news and public pages aligned with the (Syrian Democratic Forces), and garnered a remarkable interaction, and a sample of the prosecution sources can be found in the table at the end of the report.

Refute the claim

Verify-Sy searched for the photos circulated in the context of accusing the Turkish forces presented in Syria of training children to use weapons. It turned out that they were published for the first time on the official account of the Turkish Ministry Defense on Twitter on 10 January.

Barış Pınarı bölgesindeki çocuklara, terör örgütü PKK/YPG’nin tuzakladığı Mayın/EYP’lere karşı korunmaları için eğitimler veriyoruz. METİ timlerimiz, Tel Zeydan İlkokulu öğrencilerine Mayın/EYP’lerle karşılaştıklarında nelere dikkat etmeleri gerektiğini anlattı.#MSB #TSK pic.twitter.com/sWByF4fUyV

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) January 10, 2021

In the text attached to the photos, the ministry stated that it "organizes awareness programs for children in the Operation Peace Spring area in northeastern Syria, on how to act to protect themselves when they find mines or explosive devices planted by the Kurdistan Workers' Party."

Turkey News Agency published the same pictures in a news item on its website, and quoted the Turkish Ministry of Defense during the news as saying that "Turkish experts in the field of demining mines and explosives provided lessons for students of Tel Zeidan Primary School, about what they should do in case they encounter mines and explosive devices, in order to protect themselves."

conclusion