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Al Qaeda's deadly exploitation of children

As people wade through the avalanche of some 400,000 documents "released" by WikiLeaks at the weekend, a variety of revelations make for disturbing reading - none less so than what The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports on Al Qaeda's deadly unconscionable exploitation of children:

"One of the most disturbing stories in the war logs is the callous use of children as suicide bombers by al Qaeda in Iraq. The files detail how insurgents recruited children who, as innocents, could gain greater access to targets. But these innocents were killed.

There are numerous references in the war logs to the use of children by insurgent groups. The youngest mentioned is just 10 years old, and they are used as spotters, to plant IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) or even fire rockets. The children, more often than not, died."

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