Children are being used as sniper targets and human shields in the Syria war, the United Nations said in its Wednesday report.

Children are being used as sniper targets and human shields in the Syria war, the United Nations said in its Wednesday report.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon said in the report the 26-month-old war in Syria is taking an "unacceptable and unbearable" toll on children with thousands among the death toll.

The office of UN special representative on children in conflict, Leila Zerrougui said it had received "verified reports that Syrian children are killed or injured in indiscriminate bombings, shot by snipers, used as human shields or victims of terror tactics."

Zerrougui presented the report which said boys as young as 10 are used by armed groups to work as combatants and porters.

It said there were a growing number of reports of the so-called ‘Free Syrian Army’, the main opposition armed group, recruiting children, mostly between 15 and 17.

Thousands of children "have seen family members killed or injured," said the report.

"Everyone involved in the conflict needs to take urgent measures to protect children," Zerrougui said.

"Allowing access for lifesaving humanitarian assistance is essential. We cannot allow innocent children to continue to die because they can't see a doctor, or because they can't fulfill their basic needs."

Earlier in the day, United Nations' human rights office said that Syria's spiraling violence has resulted in the confirmed killings of nearly 93,000 people, but the real number is likely to be far higher.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.