Damascus: At least 3,000 children born into Islamic State (IS) families are being housed in camps in Syria, UNICEF said on Thursday, with many younger than six years old and living in "extremely dire conditions" here.

The UNICEF figure is sharply higher than earlier assessments, driven in part by the arrival in al-Hawl camp of as many as 30,000 people from the last IS enclave of Baghuz. The number of newcomers has overwhelmed camp officials, who are struggling to keep accurate records and provide food and shelter.