UK allies commit outrages against kids
THE armies of some of Britain’s allies in the war on terror are guilty of atrocities against thousands of children, a report says.
Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Iraq and Afghanistan are listed by the United Nations as being guilty of grotesque abuses.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen is said to have killed and wounded hundreds of child victims of war. Britain has for years sold weapons to the Saudis and has been involved in training its forces.
It is the second year running Saudi Arabia has been named and shamed in the UN report on the extent of youngsters being killed, wounded and abused worldwide.
Rob Williams, chief executive of the War Child charity, said: “It makes a mockery of the UK’s position as a leader in human rights for our closest allies to be listed again... It will be shameful for the UK Government to continue to collaborate and provide weapons for a coalition now listed twice.
“Saudi Arabia and [others] must now work with the UN... to ensure these horrific violations of vulnerable children are never repeated.”
In Afghanistan, where UK forces are training local security troops, boys have been coerced into fighting. The UN verified 3,179 child casualties there in 2017, with 861 killed and 2,318 injured, most of them at the hands of Islamic State or the Taliban.
But researchers concluded that as many as 723 of the young casualties were as a result of action by the Afghan security forces.
Terror groups Boko Haram and al-Shabaab are also named in the report as being guilty of outrages.