Five hundreds minors in US detention in Iraq

 Source: alalam.ir, 14-05-2008
WASHINGTON-Around 500 minors are currently detained by the US army in Iraq, as well as nearly a dozen juveniles in Afghanistan, a US civil liberties group revealed.
US government report for the UN children's agency, made public by the American Civil Liberties Union, said: "Since 2002, the US has held approximately 2,500 individuals under the age of 18 at the time of their capture ... in Guantanamo Bay, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan."
The report said that US forces held approximately 500 juveniles in Iraq, where "all detainees, regardless of age, are held by US forces as imperative threats to security at the request of the sovereign Iraqi government and pursuant to a UN Security Council Resolution."
The number of minors in US detention in Iraq rose as high as 800 in 2007.
In addition, around 10 minors are currently held in US custody in Afghanistan's Bagram prison, and are considered "enemy combatants."
However, Washington said it currently has no minors at its prison facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, though two prisoners -- Omar Khadr and Mohammed Jawad -- were captured when they were under the age of 18 and remain in custody awaiting prosecution.
Jamil Dakwar, director of the ACLU Human Rights Program, said it was "shocking to know that the US is holding hundreds of juveniles in Iraq and Afghanistan, and even more disturbing that there is no comprehensive policy in place that will protect their rights as children."
The ACLU also contested the US government's assertion that eight minors have been held at Guantanamo, saying the number was "closer to 23."