Syrian children turn to Pokemon Go to ask people to save them

Lately, Pokemon images of a slightly different kind have been circulating on social media.

Drawing from the game's goal of seeking out and catching Pokemon, the pictures feature Syrian children holding up placards that read: "I am here, come save me". along with an image of a Pokemon and the location of the child.

The images are a plea to the world, that's taken a liking to Pokemon, to not forget Syria that's been at war for five years.

Written in Arabic, one image reads: “I live in Kafr Nabl, the Aleppo countryside. Come catch me.”

And another: “I am a Pokémon at Idlib in Syria, would you please come and save me?”

These pictures are being shared by the Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office (RFS) in hopes of getting these children's pleas across internationally and bring the world's attention to the Syria crisis.

A spokesperon for RFS told The Independent: "With the media spread wide for Pokemon game we decided to publish these images to highlight the suffering of the Syrian people from the bombing of the forces of order and Air-Assad to the Syrian people and besiege them.

"We want to raise awareness and draw attention to the plight of Syrian children in besieged areas and the suffering of Syrian people who are attacked and killed by the Assad regime and its allies."

The Independent reports the images have been circulated more than 21,500 times.

They are not the only ones using Pokemon Go to raise awareness in Syria, graphic designer Saif Aldeen Tahhan is also using the app to show the gruesome destruction the country is going through.

“I created these images as a way to turn attention to the Syrian war, and to focus on Syrian suffering instead of Pokémon, which people are crazy about,” The Telegraph quoted him as having said.

“The world has become obsessed with this video game, so I told myself why not use it as a medium to convey our suffering.

“Everyone is now searching for Pokémon, however, Syrians are searching for the basic necessities of life. Honestly, I don’t think the world feels for us,” he told Al Arabiya.

The five-year civil war has cost the lives of countless innocents and has left more than a quarter of a million children living under siege, according to Save The Children.