The United States has added the Turkish state to the list of nations and foreign actors who use child soldiers. The decision was made after the US 2021 Trafficking in Persons report stated that Turkey was supporting and funding Islamist extremist groups in Syria, such as the Sultan Murad division, who use child soldiers in combat.
The Sultan Murad division has been accused by its opponents of not only using child soldiers, but also engaging in mass killings, mass rape and torture.
A US State Department official said regarding the move to put Turkey on the list of those states that fund child soldiers and groups using child soldiers:
"With respect to Turkey in particular ... this is the first time a NATO member has been listed in the child soldier prevention act list. As a respected regional leader and member of NATO, Turkey has the opportunity to address this issue -- the recruitment and use of child soldiers in Syria and Libya."
Turkey has long been accused of funding, training and arming a variety of extremist Islamist groups within Syria as a way of attacking the Syrian government and ruling regime. Turkey has also invaded northern Syria and attacked the Kurdish forces who had fought valiantly against the so-called 'Islamic State' ISIS.
Now that Turkey is on the list of states that allow child soldiers, the Turkish regime may come under international sanctions. Quite what form these will have is, however, unclear at present.
Several other nation states, including Greece and Cyprus, and opposition figures within Turkey, have long campaigned to have sanctions imposed on the far-right authoritarian Islamist regime of Recep Erdogan. Turkey under Erdogan has halted democracy, imprisoned journalists and opponents and funded violent groups across the world. However, in recent weeks, Turkey has received six high-tech submarines from Germany as a result of a defence contract signed almost 20 years ago. The move was met with stiff criticism from both Greece and Cyprus.
[h/t: CNN]
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