Two Afghan children die in U.S.-led raid

U.S.-led troops raided a compound in search of a suspected Taliban militant, resulting in the deaths of two children, CNN reported Thursday.

Maj. Chris Belcher, Combined Joint Task Forces-82 spokesman, said that troops raided the compound in Nangarhar Province after receiving “credible intelligence.”

“It is regrettable when innocent lives are put at risk by militant forces. Our sincerest condolences go out to the families of the deceased and wounded.”

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Iraqi NGOs allege torture, abuse of children in prisons

Concerns have been raised by Iraqi NGOs about the treatment of children in prisons. The organizations say that they are abused and tortured during interrogation, IRIN reported last week.

“Children are being treated as adults in Iraqi prisons and our investigations have shown that they are being abused and tortured,” said Khalid Rabia’a, a spokesman for the Prisoners’ Association for Justice (PAJ).

According to Rabia’a, PAJ’s investigation began after families brought their children, who were recently released from prison, to the organization for psychological help.

“The five children showed signs of torture all over their bodies. Three had marks of cigarettes burns over their legs and one couldn’t speak as the shock sessions affected his conversation,” Rabia’a said. “It is against international law that protects children and we call for interventions in all Iraqi prisons to save the lives of these children.”

The Ministry of Interior denied the accusations, and said that children and youth are only held in interrogation for a maximum of 48 hours and are not abused or tortured. However, one senior ministry official from the ministry, who has been supplying PAJ with updates on a daily basis but asked not be named, told IRIN that every prison is holding at least 20 children, all of them suffering abuse.

It is believed that at least 220 children are currently detained in Iraqi prisons. IRIN’s request to visit the prisons was denied.

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Teen hanging sheds light on increasing number of Taliban attacks on children

As reported in Wednesday’s Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Newsline:

TEENAGER'S HANGING HIGHLIGHTS RISING NUMBER OF CHILD KILLINGS IN AFGHANISTANThe United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on October 2 condemned the hanging of a 15-year-old boy by Taliban rebels in the volatile southern Helmand Province two days earlier, criticizing the growing frequency with which children and young people are being "targeted so cynically," the Integrated Regional Information Network reported.

Killing children "goes against all norms in Afghan society, is against international law, and we condemn such actions unreservedly," UNAMA spokesman Aleem Siddique said of the September 30 killing, in which the boy was hung from a tree and his mouth stuffed with dollar bills.

In a separate incident involving children on September 30, a bomb disguised as a toy exploded in Khost Province, killing two children and wounding five others, provincial police spokesman Wazir Pacha said.

Afghan and Western officials have repeatedly accused the Taliban of using children as human shields during clashes with coalition forces, often in an effort to increase civilian casualties and subsequently blame them on Western militaries as part of its propaganda campaign (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 26, 2007).

Schools are also being targeted, making it difficult for girls in particular to have access to education (see "RFE/RL Newsline," July 10, 2007). On June 15, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a school in Tarinkot, the capital of Oruzgan Province, as children were leaving, killing 11 and wounding several others. Over 400 schools are still closed in many southern provinces due to insecurity.

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