Nic Robertson
CNN
A top Taliban leader in Pakistan is buying and selling children for suicide bombings, Pakistani and U.S. officials said.
Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud has been increasingly using the children in attacks, the officials said. A video released by Pakistan's military shows the children training for the task.
In the video of a training camp, children can be seen going through exercises.
Mehsud has been selling the children, once trained, to other Taliban officials for $6,000 to $12,000, Pakistani military officials said.
Some of the children are as young as 11, the officials said.
"He has been admitting he holds a training center for young boys, for preparing them for suicide bombing. So he is on record saying all this, accepting these crimes," said Major General Akhtar Abbas, spokesman for the Pakistani army.
The young suicide bombers may be able to reach targets unnoticed, the military said.
"If he is approaching on foot, there is a possibility he will bypass security," Abbas said.
"In certain areas, there is a possibility in the population centers everyone can not be checked physically, so he can create havoc there."
| Heather,ca |
July 8th, 2009 4:08 pm ET How cowardly of them. Kinda reminds me of Iran using boys to clear out the land mines in the war they had with Iraq. |
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| michelle molina |
July 8th, 2009 4:22 pm ET Anderson, please talk more about Michael Jackson's reported Lupus. |
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| BettyAnn,Nacogdoches,TX |
July 8th, 2009 4:35 pm ET hi Nic! |
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| Donna Wood, Lil' Tennessee |
July 8th, 2009 4:37 pm ET Cowards all! Using children of all things. That is so low! Donna Wood |
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| dina212 |
July 8th, 2009 4:52 pm ET Wow, those parents should try and move their kids to either here or Europe. That's scary. |
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| Annie Kate |
July 8th, 2009 4:58 pm ET Using children for suicide attacks is probably as low as you can go even in this day and age. I wonder if these young children really understand that the one person they are sure to kill is themselves? |
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| Teresa, OH |
July 8th, 2009 4:59 pm ET Using kids to blow up their futures. They dont even value their own people. |
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| Sabrina in Las Vegas |
July 8th, 2009 4:59 pm ET OMG, now even children can't be considered innocent. If a child, like luggage at the airport, is not with a person we have to wonder if it is harmful or OK. We are dealing with seriously sick and twisted and demented people here to do such a thing...like the psycho Nazi doctors who should have all been put down. This is yet another plague to eliminated out of society. I feel so bad for the kids....pawns in this game of theirs. |
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| RoseParvin |
July 8th, 2009 5:04 pm ET These toxic tragedies are what I have been working on deleting from the race of humanity when a few golddigers in the media and radio television block my way censoring me paid by the mafia of dictatorship of Iran and while claiming democracy they rape me of my lfie work and stick it on themselves & clones they keep creating to marginalize me and my TruthTimeRoseProphecy for 12 years to place their myths of lies and deception and pawns of power in my platoform calling the woman scientist revolutionary who braught the science of rebirth R responsible freedom all of her life an opportunist in 670amkirn while constantly promoting my clones and rats stealing my words out of my mouth claiming them. We are in a war of god and evil and god is victoreous for the devil is spreading her life work with oil money only to compete with her but it is working and people R becoming awakened even though they are told to stand against her! Now we must break the silent crime & censorship and give people their true leader of freedom and democracy to break free! |
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| Heidi |
July 8th, 2009 5:14 pm ET There is no denying this is a crime against humanity but, if it is true that if we are not a part of the solution, we are a part of the problem,what do we do?...and how do we live with ourselves if we do nothing? |
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| Caryl Mittge |
July 8th, 2009 5:24 pm ET This is over the top, too much, sickening, and inconceivable!!! |
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| susan in san francisco |
July 8th, 2009 5:24 pm ET what is going on?! |
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| charmichael |
July 8th, 2009 5:50 pm ET Is there anything they won't do? |
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| Nydia |
July 8th, 2009 6:28 pm ET The crimes being committed against children are not only happening in Iraq, but in our own neighborhoods. Children are being used for pornography, violence, drug dealing, stealing, and sold for prostitution. |
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| Kerim Agha |
July 8th, 2009 6:35 pm ET When you child growing in Afghanistan, you either go out and do the killing or you wait in your lounge for a cluster bomb to rip through your house and rip your body and skull to shreds...take you pick of the disgusting way to go down. Tell the full story Nic, easy to pass judgement from your safe abode, I bet you have rubber padding on your furniture so your kids don't get hurt. This is reality of having one invader after another, wanting to kill and maim you into submission. |
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| Jim M |
July 8th, 2009 6:38 pm ET Radical Islam continues to refine it true meaning. |
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| Jennifer |
July 8th, 2009 8:02 pm ET this makes me so sad and infuriates me to no end. it's going to sounds cliche but i just have to ask: where are the morals and compassion in these people's hearts? |
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| Corinna |
July 8th, 2009 8:48 pm ET I am continuously baffled by the human race....... |
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| liza in nyc |
July 8th, 2009 10:06 pm ET it's so strange...i dream of having my own child, know loads of people going through IVF, and these 'people' are throwing them away. roaches treat their offspring better than these 'people.' |
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| nanabc |
July 8th, 2009 10:20 pm ET wow, this is crazy |
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| Lisa W |
July 8th, 2009 10:49 pm ET I'm sorry, but when the response to reading a story about children being trained to blow themselves up to kill our troops is....to request more stories about Michael Jackson...I just have to throw my hands up and say "This is who my son is fighting in Afghanistan for?" Sad. Lupus is a serious subject Michele, a truly debilitating disease...and a topic for another thread. The town my son just arrived in (according to a reporter) has buried copper wire throughout it- wired for IED's. That's who we're dealing with. I just wonder how many blown up Marines and Soldiers it will take before it is as "interesting" as where the possible burial site for MJ is? A young man had both legs blown off yesterday...oh..sorry, you may have missed that during the Breaking News about the upcoming MJ Dermatologist interview.... I know I sound harsh- it's been a long week. |
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| David A Tennessee |
July 8th, 2009 11:18 pm ET Dear people of the world I will give all of you a history lession. From the dawn of time war has left a mark in history. When Alexzander the great walked the earth him and his army killed and slauterd hundreds of thousands of people men,women,children nobody was safe during the dark ages before and after knights.They were trained to kill when they cold walk untill they were called into battle by their kings. WW1,WW2 the countrys that started the war used children to kill gi's Hitller used children to fight and die called the Hitller Youth. The Japaneese people jumped off cliffs with their children in stead of giveing up to the Americans .In vetnam they gave children granades and told them to give the present to the Americans and smile. women walked in the middle of the street naked with their bodys lined with hand granades carring their babbys in their arms. When Iran was at war with Iraq they used A Genaration of their children to clear mine fileds when sadam found out he gased them to death just like the kurds men,women,children AND NO COUNTRY DID ANY THING ABOUT IT!!!!! NONE!!!!! when we went to samalya children carry AK47 and AK74 FULLY ATTA MADIC MACHINE GUNS AND KNOW HOW THEY WORK AND OPPERATE |
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| William of Iowa |
July 8th, 2009 11:56 pm ET Find Mehsud. Kill him. |
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| t newman rhode island |
July 9th, 2009 12:13 am ET news is news but when you cut down michael jacksons childres its as low as you can get shame on cnn |
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| Katie C |
July 9th, 2009 12:33 am ET What I don't understand is, why people are STILL talking about Micheal Jackson 24 hours a day! I get it, I was a fan, but there are so many CNN worthy newsreports out there that the general mass does not see, and need to! Reporting the news, needs to be reporting the news, not editorials about a man, who's passing although a tragic loss, not 24/7 news worthy. The economy, healthcare, environment, and so much more is still on our and the rest of the world's plate which is being ignored because it's not the "hott" topic. Come on CNN, do you job, report the news! |
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| Katie C |
July 9th, 2009 12:36 am ET PS. My previous comment pertains to the fact that this isn't even known as widely as it should because of the previously mentioned... |
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| Cynthia Stevens |
July 9th, 2009 2:37 am ET On Dec. 31, 2007, a recent Iraq vet, Jason Eamer was found dead-suicide, a gun shot to the head. His body was in the Ogden, UT Canyon foothills. He was unable to get the help he needed from constant pain from a parachuting accident, addiction to pain killers, & Iraq-fueled nightmares. He left behind a wife and 2 year-old daughter. |
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| Annie, Beijing, China |
July 9th, 2009 5:50 am ET OMG! Horrible horrible thing! These criminals are completely dehumanizing! Poor children!! Who can help them? |
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