Taliban buying children for suicide bombers

[Gawdzilla Sama]

EXCLUSIVE: Taliban buying children for suicide bombers

By Sara A. Carter (Contact)

Originally published 04:45 a.m., July 2, 2009, updated 02:11 p.m., July 2, 2009

Pakistan's top Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, is buying children as young as 7 to serve as suicide bombers in the growing spate of attacks against Pakistani, Afghan and U.S. targets, U.S. Defense Department and Pakistani officials say.

A Pakistani official, who spoke on the condition that he not be named because of the sensitive nature of the topic, said the going price for child bombers was $7,000 to $14,000 - huge sums in Pakistan, where per-capita income is about $2,600 a year.

"[Mehsud] has turned suicide bombing into a production output, not unlike [the way] Toyota outputs cars," a U.S. Defense Department official told reporters recently. He spoke on the condition that he not be named because of ongoing intelligence efforts to catch Mehsud, a prime target for a U.S. and Pakistani anti-Taliban campaign.

An apparent U.S. effort to kill Mehsud last week failed. On Sunday, the Pakistani government offered a reward of about $615,300 for information leading to the capture of Mehsud, dead or alive. The U.S. State Department has offered a bounty of $5 million for Mehsud, who is thought to be hiding in the tribal areas near the Afghan border.

Suicide bombings have become frequent in Pakistan in the past year, including high-profile attacks on hotels frequented by Westerners, as well as on Pakistani police and military installations. There has also been a spate of such attacks directed at U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

The U.S. official said the price depends on how quickly the bomber is needed and how close the child is expected to get to the target.

"[Mehsud] produces these suicide bombers, which are sold or bartered, which can be used by [Afghan Taliban leader Mullah] Omar's Taliban or ... other groups," the U.S. official said.

In some cases, he said, the children are kidnapped and then sold to Mehsud.

Using child suicide bombers "is the grim reality of the Taliban Frankenstein that now threatens to overwhelm the Pakistani state," said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution scholar who chaired a review of Pakistan-Afghanistan strategy for President Obama.

Efforts to reach a spokesman for Mehsud were not successful.

(Balance of article at URL above.)

[The Red Fox]

The mind-virus's most deadly strain. It's one thing to lie to children, it's another to enslave, indoctrinate and murder them. Pernicious and disgusting. It never ceases to amaze me how brainwashing with religious and political fanaticism can override a person's natural instinct to survive. Hopefully enlightened thinking will become prevalent the world over and we will see this type of primitive backwardness become vanishingly rare amongst humans.

[Trinity]

Hopefully enlightened thinking will become prevalent the world over and we will see this type of primitive backwardness become vanishingly rare amongst humans.

I second that.

[charlou]

The mind-virus's most deadly strain. It's one thing to lie to children, it's another to enslave, indoctrinate and murder them. Pernicious and disgusting. It never ceases to amaze me how brainwashing with religious and political fanaticism can override a person's natural instinct to survive. Hopefully enlightened thinking will become prevalent the world over and we will see this type of primitive backwardness become vanishingly rare amongst humans.

Meanwhile we're obliged as humanitarians to go on the offensive to protect the human rights of these children.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The mind-virus's most deadly strain. It's one thing to lie to children, it's another to enslave, indoctrinate and murder them. Pernicious and disgusting. It never ceases to amaze me how brainwashing with religious and political fanaticism can override a person's natural instinct to survive. Hopefully enlightened thinking will become prevalent the world over and we will see this type of primitive backwardness become vanishingly rare amongst humans.

Meanwhile we're obliged as humanitarians to go on the offensive to protect the human rights of these children.

"All that is required for evil to triumph is that good women do nothing."

[Animavore]

I had to already berate a Muslim guy in work for speaking praise of the Taliban, I mentioned them throwing acid in young girls faces, this is just more ammo.

[The Dawktor]

God bless the Taliban!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I had to already berate a Muslim guy in work for speaking praise of the Taliban, I mentioned them throwing acid in young girls faces, this is just more ammo.

"Hassan! I am out of acid! Do you have any?"
"No, Ali, I just got back from the Girls' School and I'm empty."

[Guy_Montag]

Won't somebody think of the children?

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWatrocities.htm

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... _12529902/
also
http://www.prwatch.org/books/tsigfy10.html


I'm not saying it's not happening, or hasn't happened, but it's a classic tale to tell.

[The Red Fox]

The mind-virus's most deadly strain. It's one thing to lie to children, it's another to enslave, indoctrinate and murder them. Pernicious and disgusting. It never ceases to amaze me how brainwashing with religious and political fanaticism can override a person's natural instinct to survive. Hopefully enlightened thinking will become prevalent the world over and we will see this type of primitive backwardness become vanishingly rare amongst humans.

Meanwhile we're obliged as humanitarians to go on the offensive to protect the human rights of these children.

I would prefer the Taliban's ideology be destroyed via education and critical thinking of its adherents, rather than through bombs and ammunition. That said, since the invasion has happened, this yet another reason why they need to be stopped with peaceful means or otherwise.

I had to already berate a Muslim guy in work for speaking praise of the Taliban, I mentioned them throwing acid in young girls faces, this is just more ammo.

I have a sneaking suspicion a few of them say it for shock value to be rebellious, a bit like wearing a Nazi Swastika 30 years ago, rather than genuine political support. Either that or they're just being good Muslims and sticking up for their "brothers". Either way it's bloody stupid and they deserve getting told that.

Won't somebody think of the children?

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWatrocities.htm

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... _12529902/
also
http://www.prwatch.org/books/tsigfy10.html


I'm not saying it's not happening, or hasn't happened, but it's a classic tale to tell.

I don't doubt the power of emotional manipulation used in propaganda, but it isn't as if the Taliban had much of an image to ruin. I still don't advocate war again them, but what's done is done and if their sick ideology disappears (bearing in mind I'm not just referring to this, but also to their violent executions, horrific treatment of women, religious fanaticism and social backwardness none of which have been debunked or shown to be western propaganda), or their influence becomes minuscule, I won't miss it.