Kashmiri Terror Outfits, Naxals Recruiting Children, Using Them To Fuel Unrest, Says UN Report

A United Nations report has said that terrorist organisations such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jaish-e-Mohammed recruited children to fuel unrest in Kashmir and clash with security forces last year, an article in The Tribune says.

The annual report of the UN Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict, which covers the January-December 2017 period, said that globally, over 10,000 children were killed or injured in conflict last year, while over 8,000 were used as combatants.

The report covers 20 countries, including Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, India, Philippines and Nigeria.

On the Indian situation, the report said children continued to be used as pawns between the establishment and anti-national forces in areas such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkand, as well as Jammu and Kashmir.

The report said that both the Jaish-e-Mohammed as well as the Hizbul Majihdeen were guilty of drafting children for terror-related work.

In Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, however, the report said, Naxals were using the same strategy to subvert the system. Citing government data, the report said as many as 188 civilians were killed in Naxal-affected regions, but no concrete data on children was available.

On the state of affairs in Pakistan, the report said, the UN continued to receive information of the recruitment and use of children, including those from madrassas, for suicide attacks.