Posted on 02/14/2003 4:23:14 AM PST by HAL9000
The fear of Saddams child soldier
If it should come to the war in the Iraq and to the house fight into Bagdad, American soldiers will encounter a threat, which can bring them into a cruel conscience conflict: Child soldiers, who fight to thousands in Saddam Husseins army and are programmed on killing - as for instance the "lion club Saddams".
Berlin - Nathan Ross Chapman did not suspect that he would only have to live few minutes. On 4 January it stood on a kleinlaster and let its view over the fissured mountain region before the gates of the Afghan city Khost curve. Its order: The results of allies of bomb attacks examine - a routine employment for the 31-jaehrigen command soldiers of the American Special Forces, which had already fought in Panama, in the Iraq and on Haiti.
Suddenly apparently nothing came down a projectile rain on Chapman and its companions from that. Several balls pierced Chapmans of legs and split a Arterie. The elite fighter bled. He was a first US soldier, who died with the operation "Enduring Freedom". Chapman would have seen its aggressor, perhaps he would not have resisted nevertheless: The double father would have confessed before the choice to even die either or to shoot a 14-jaehrigen boys.
The episode was topic with a conference centers of the For Emerging Threats and Opportunities, an organization created of the US Marine Corps and Potomac Potomac-Institut for political studies for the analysis of new threats of national security. It could be a Vorgeschmack on one of the cruelest sides, which an invasion in the Iraq could accept: Saddam Hussein could send thousands of children into the battle, in order to weaken the moral of the attacking allied ones. There are examples of it: already in the first Gulf War and the Iraq brigades of child soldiers sent Iran into the battle.
The fact that this calculation could come up knows western armed forces from experience. In the Second World War American and British soldiers had to shoot at children: Hitler boys, who were used for heating during the last war months in the ruins of German cities. The effect on the moral of the allied units concerned was devastating, regardless of the fact that the allied ones stood briefly before the victory.
Still in the year 2001 was it shown, how helpless western armed forces in such situations can react: In westAfrican Sierra Leone a complete British patrol turned out in shank, when she discovered child soldiers and back-frightened before a fire fight. Those approximately 150 British command soldiers, who freed their comrades afterwards, did not have this choice: They supplied themselves a violent shooting with the young geiselnehmern. The result were several dozen dead one. Some of the British, reported the renowned Brookings of institutes in Washington, suffered later from depressions and to post office trauma tables the stress syndrome.
"children understand nothing about tactics and form no connected units", explain major Jim Gray, Attaché of the British Royal marine in the USA. "you are only children, but children on drugs and with weapons. If they are attacked, they fight as wild." Gray demands, would have western soldiers for the "shock" to be therefore absolutely prepared to have to fight against children.
Saddam Hussein obviously drew its teachings from history: He prepared the military abuse of children carefully. Since in the middle of the nineties organizes the Bagdader regime after information of the Brookings of institutes annual Trainingscamps, in which thousands of boys three weeks long militarily gedrillt, in handling hand-held weapons to be trained and to the ideology of the governing Baath party be exposed. The entrance age of the participants: ten years.
Since 1998 also military exercise programs for the entire population exist. Once in the year all Iraqis are gedrillt starting from 15 years 40 days long two hours daily and trained at hand-held weapons. Beyond that paramilitaerische child soldier units exist to an organization of the Baath party, which was already created in the seventies and children starting from twelve years militarily trains within the "Futuwah" youth movement.
For the Iraqi regime that offers access to the youth equivalent two of advantages. Differently than in western countries this age group in the Iraq forms an enormous portion of the total population: About half of the 22 million inhabitant of the country is younger than 18 years. Their militarization results in an enormous Nachwuchspotenzial for Saddams troops, their indoctrination contributes beyond that to the stabilization of the regime.
The most important child soldier organization, so the renowned Brookings of institutes in a center of the monthly submitted investigation, are the "Ashbal Saddam", which "lion club Saddams", which were formed after the defeat in the Gulf War of 1991. Ten to 15-Jaehrige is gedrillt up to 14 hours daily in Camps, brought politically on line and blunted against force, among other things by regular flogging and cruelty to animals. However in Bagdad approximately 8000 child soldiers of the "Ashbal Saddam" should be stationed. They were used, so the fear of experts, in small groups as light infantry and snipers, in order to defend Iraqi cities, above all however Bagdad. Whether Saddam has such plans really in a possible war against the USA, is however completely unclear.
, Peter Singer of the Brookings of institutes warns, is many child soldiers their older opponents in things combat experience around years ahead, since they became literally large on the battleground. Besides they often put a frightening cruelty in engagements to the day and are very many more with difficulty to calculate, prepared to take risks and more brutally than adults soldiers. The fact that adults often hesitate, before they shoot at children provide the halbwuechsigen fighters a further advantage. With a house fight for the Iraqi capital cruel following could have.
Child soldiers, even if the Iraqi regime should send them to thousands into the fight, could not represent a serious counterweight to the superiority of western military. At the propaganda front however, the specialists on the conference of the For Emerging Threats and Opportunities (Ceto) warned centers, could pictures shot by dead children, by US soldier, a devastating effect unfold. In the Near East would reliably be them the admiration as a martyr.
Which the experts at counter measures suggest, the whole helplessness of western military documents opposite children, who were brutalisiert and fanatisiert over years. Switching the adults guidance person off about is a probates means to induce child soldiers to the task. However to hold or the halbwuechsigen opponents distance to deliver warning shots or use non-deadly weapons. Alternative ones, during a fight for each road and each house only with difficulty to be realized to have might - particularly if the hostile units consist not exclusively of children.
Thus the most practicable ideas of the experts refer to the time after child death on the battleground: Speaker of the US government, recommends Brookings coworker Singer, should absolutely reach that "the debt is given to the regime, that the children illegaly in the military forces and her the dirt work to do leaves - in full consciousness that they will die".
I have no compassion except for the American Men & Women who will do what they wil have to do and SHOOT THE LITTLE (%*&^$*&'S. Less future terrorists
Can't disagree with that. Especially since...
Some of the British, reported the renowned Brookings of institutes in Washington, suffered later from depressions and to post office trauma tables the stress syndrome.
Hitler boys, who were used for heating during the last war months...
Now, that's REALLY being tough on the youngsters!
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