Syrian children at work in a post-war scrapyard - in pictures

For many families, collecting and selling old ammunition as metal scrap is their only form of income

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  A child stacks neutralised mortar shells at a metal scrapyard on the outskirts of Maaret Misrin in Syria's Idlib province. AFP

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  For many families, collecting and selling metal scrap is their only form of income. AFP

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  The scrapyard is full of ammunition left behind by endless rounds of fighting in the country. AFP

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  The scrap metal includes unexploded ordnance shells and spent ammunition casings. AFP

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  Children who pick up dangerous objects are particularly vulnerable when working at the yard. AFP

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  Adults take on the more dangerous jobs, including dismantling unspent weapons. AFP

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  Machine gun bullets are commonplace, with numbers highest during the fighting. AFP

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  Piles of rockets, mortar shells, bullets and cluster bombs are sifted through each day. AFP

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  According to the UN, approximately 2.4 million children are out of school in Syria, with many helping their families sell scrap to eke out a living. AFP

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