Boy: Taliban Recruited Me to Bomb Troops

The story of a 6-year-old Afghan boy who says he thwarted an effort by Taliban militants to trick him into being a suicide bomber provoked tears and anger at a meeting of tribal leaders.

The account from Juma Gul, a dirt-caked child who collects scrap metal for money, left American soldiers dumbfounded that a youngster could be sent on such a mission. Afghan troops crowded around the boy to call him a hero.

Though the Taliban dismissed the story as propaganda, at a time when U.S. and NATO forces are under increasing criticism over civilian casualties, both Afghan tribal elders and U.S. military officers said they were convinced by his dramatic account.

I don’t doubt that it is true.  It certainly would not be the first time a terrorist has used a child as  mule for a bomb attack.  It has happened in many wars where the fighters have no value on the life of innocents.

The Taliban and Al Qaeda have no regard for the lives of civilians, they prove that with each innocent life killed by one of there suicide bombers.

Luckily this kid was smart.

Juma said that sometime last month Taliban fighters forced him to wear a vest they said would spray out flowers when he touched a button. He said they told him that when he saw American soldiers, “throw your body at them.”

The militants cornered Juma in a Taliban-controlled district in southern Afghanistan’s Ghazni province. Their target was an impoverished youngster being raised by an older sister—but also one who proved too street-smart for their plan.

“When they first put the vest on my body I didn’t know what to think, but then I felt the bomb,” Juma told The Associated Press as he ate lamb and rice after being introduced to the elders at this joint U.S.- Afghan base in Ghazni. “After I figured out it was a bomb, I went to the Afghan soldiers for help.”

Thomas said the case would force soldiers to think twice before assuming children are safe.

“This is one incident. We hope it doesn’t repeat itself. But it gives us reason to pause, to be extra careful,” he said. “We want to publicize this as much as we can to the Afghan people so that they can protect their children from these killers.”

Col. Sayed Waqef Shah, a religious and cultural affairs officer for the Afghan army, wiped away tears after seeing Juma. “Whenever I see this kind of action from the Taliban, if I am able to arrest them, I’ll kill them on the spot,” he said.

Haji Niaz Mohammad, one of the elders at the gathering, said he hoped “God makes the Afghan government strong” so it can defeat the Taliban.

“They are the enemy of Muslims and the enemy of the children,” he said, shaking his fists in anger.

Pretty much, yep.  The hottest circles of hell are waiting for those bastards.  Sorry if that is not politically correct enough for you. 

We are supposed to nurture children, and protect them, not use them as walking bombs.

This kind of thing pisses me off as much as hearing that one of those suicide car bombers has driven his car to a cafeteria, or a market or something.

And even worse, the act has made children the subject of distrust, making their lives that much more dangerous.

Bastards.

And you anti war pukes want us to pull out and let them have their way in Iraq ans Afghanistan?

What a great idea that is….

Trackback URI | Comments RSS