Thousands of children displaced from the last redoubt of the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) in north-eastern Syria show signs of psychological distress, Save the Children said Wednesday (February 27th).

Save the Children observed the children at al-Hol displacement camp as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battle ISIS in the last scrap of territory it holds in al-Baghouz, AFP reported.

"Children are showing signs of psychological distress, including nervousness, withdrawal, aggression, nightmares and bedwetting, especially among children aged 10 to 14 years old," said Save the Children.

Infants who fled ISIS-held areas were "likely to have witnessed acts of brutality and lived under intense bombardment and deprivation in the last enclave held by the group", it said.

"Many will likely need long term mental health and psycho-social support to recover from their experiences," the charity said in a statement.

Save the Children said it had set up recreational spaces for children at al-Hol, as well as a centre to deal with unaccompanied children.

But "much more needs to be done to help these children recover", said Save the Children's Syria response director, Sonia Khush. "That includes funding and access for case management and protective services, and for foreign children repatriation to their countries of origin."

The charity says more than 2,500 foreign children from 30 countries, including 1,100 who fled al-Baghouz since January, now live in three camps for the displaced in north-east Syria.