New York – The ongoing conflict in Iraq has killed and maimed hundreds of children while others are used as spies and to lure security forces into ambushes, the UN said Thursday in the first report on the status of Iraqi children in armed conflict.
A group monitoring children and armed conflict set up by the UN Security Council reported that at least 194 children were killed and 232 wounded in 2010 as the result of the fighting in Iraq.
Official Iraqi government reports stated that 134 children were killed and another 590 wounded in the first nine months of 2010.
‘Throughout the conflict in Iraq, armed groups have recruited, trained and used children to take part in hostilities both directly and indirectly,’ the report said.
It said children, in addition to engaging in combat roles, have been used to: spy and scout; transport military supplies and equipment; make recordings of attacks for propaganda purposes; and plant explosive devices.
It said the exact number of children recruited and used by armed groups has been difficult to ascertain because of the ‘restrictive security situation’ in Iraq.
