Taliban Buys Children To Be Suicide Bombers

categories: Human Trafficking in Europe and the Middle East, Trafficking in Children

Published July 02, 2009 @ 08:10AM PT

Faced with a shrinking supply of willing martyrs, the Taliban in Pakistan is now purchasing children as young as 7 years old to be suicide bombers. The going price for a child bomber: $7,000 to $14,000. In Pakistan, where the average yearly income is $2,600, there are many traffickers looking to kidnap children and sell them to the Taliban.

The leader of the Pakistan Taliban and mastermind behind the traffick-children-to-be-suicide-bombers scheme is Baitullah Mehsud, who evaded capture by U.S. troops as recently as last week. A U.S. Defense Department official, speaking anonymously, told reporters recently,

"Mehsud has turned suicide bombing into a production output, not unlike the way Toyota outputs cars."

And it looks like he's basing this grotesque new industry on children.

The use of children in war is unfortunately not new. Child soldiers are being used right now, in conflicts around the world. But trafficking children to be suicide bombers feels especially evil for some reason. Perhaps it's because, theoretically (if not practically), a child soldier would have a sliver of hope of survival, whereas a child suicide bomber is doomed. Perhaps it's because the children being used in Pakistan are so young.

I am still shocked by the new and innovative ways human beings develop to abuse, torture and destroy each other. It was naïveté on my part to assume that the industry of suicide bombers would not follow the rules of supply and demand that guide all other industries of trafficked persons. But it obviously does. And now we have the sad duty of adding a new variation of human trafficking to the long and growing list.

Image from timenewsgloaming.com

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Comments (5)

The bottom of this article sites the images as coming from timenewsgloaming.com of which there is no such site.

Other than an anonymous source, this article sites no legitimate sources.

Whether the article is true or not, this is just bad journalism and change.org should be ashamed to post such nonsense.

It discredits the thousands of service groups on this site trying to make a difference.

Posted by David Serota on 07/02/2009 @ 12:19PM PT
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while I disagree with what you say David, I would defend with my life your right to say it......

However, I would point out that this is not TV or a newspaper, but a blog. I have seen many items posted on change.org that genuinly do not have any legitimate sources. There would appear to be at least one legitimate source here (The Washington Times).....   obviously folk need to decide for themselves if they can believe anything they read in The Times - or indeed any other newspaper.......

I notice that your profile contains no information about yourself and further you don't even have picture.....    I would challenge your definition of what is shameful, and also challenge you to list the "thousands of groups" that you have researched on this site....   I've been working here for some considerable time and quite frankly I suspect that I have only been able to research a hundred or so...    I'm quite amazed therefore that you've managed to get into the thousands...........

I'm looking forward to receiving your list of the "thousands of groups"........

best regards    john stack

http://www.svetna.com

Posted by john stack on 07/06/2009 @ 08:54AM PT
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Actually, it seems that this is real. Here is the Washington Times online post: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/02/taliban-buying-children-to-serve-as-suicide-bomber/

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Amanda!

May we all find happiness and the end of suffering.

Posted by Gil Talmi on 07/03/2009 @ 03:38PM PT
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This is horrible! No child should be forced to die this way.

Posted by Casey Williams on 07/04/2009 @ 09:40PM PT
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The majority of searches I can trace on the Internet definately state that Baitullah Mehsud is responsible for either masterminding or actively purchasing children for this purpose.

However there are mixed reports that he may be dead .... while others claim he is still alive......

anyone have any definitive intel on this?

e-mail me at johnstack@svetna.com

thanks john stack, 6th July 2009

http://www.svetna.com

Posted by john stack on 07/06/2009 @ 08:34AM PT
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Author

Amanda has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. During that time, she has created reports, documentaries and training materials on human trafficking in the United States and around the world.