The U.S. Department of State has reported that the United Nations documented the recruitment of 342 children as soldiers by the Taliban in 2023. On Tuesday, August 12, the State Department released its 2024 annual human rights report, noting that 150 boys were used in combat, while another 192 served in support roles. This recruitment took place despite a decree by the Taliban Supreme Leader prohibiting the use of children in the group’s ranks. The report also stated that in 2023, approximately 30 children between the ages of 10 and 18 were recruited into a Taliban military training center in Badakhshan Province.
According to the U.S. Secretary of State, between April 2023 and March 2024, Taliban-backed armed groups recruited or employed child soldiers. The report further highlighted that child marriage has increased due to the Taliban’s denial of education to girls and the suppression of women’s rights.
Citing UNICEF, the State Department reported that 38 percent of women in Afghanistan were married before the age of 18. The release of this report comes on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
You can read the Persian version of this news here:
گزارش وزارت خارجه امریکا از کودکسرباز و کودکهمسری توسط طالبان
