'Children are tools to achieve God's will,' the Taliban commander told me

The Independent by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy | Jul. 29, 2009 (Opinion)

Hazrat Ali longs for the day when his turn will come to be a suicide bomber. "There are thousands of us. The Taliban now have the power to defeat the army."

Qari Abdullah, a Taliban commander in charge of child recruitment, told me children are an essential element of Jihad. "If you're fighting, then God provides you with the means [to win]. Kids themselves are tools to achieve God's will. And whatever comes your way, you sacrifice it." ... Full Story »

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John Louden
4.4
 by John Louden - Jul. 29, 2009

First-hand reporting with quotes from both the children and the Taliban; also names three children who have died as suicide bombers. Author spent four months making a film on the Taliban.

Children as young as five and six years old are being recruited from poor families, he said. “The kids want to join us because they like our weapons.”

There is a surreal thread from your local air cadets, to the Hitler Youth to this.

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