US criticizes Iran's Basij and IRGC for using "children" to fight in the region
The US ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday criticized Iran's Basij forces' use of schoolchildren, some of whom he said were as young as 12.
Nikki Haley, speaking at a Security Council meeting about the situation in the Middle East, added that these children would later be sent to the region to fight for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Stating that the Basij operates under the supervision of the Revolutionary Guards, he said that in addition to suppressing critics within the country, the Guards provide military training to the Basij forces for war.
According to Ms. Haley, the Iranian regime has been using the Basij to recruit Iranian children and train them to fight in Syria and support the oppressive Assad regime since at least early 2015.
The US representative to the United Nations – who has resigned from his post and will remain in that position until the end of 2018 – said that the Basij has also used Afghan refugees for this purpose.
These statements come two days after the US sanctioned 20 institutions and companies affiliated with the Basij Cooperative Foundation, which provides financial resources to Iranian militia forces.
The US government says Iran has destabilized the Middle East by continuing its ballistic missile program and malign activities in the region, and has set 12 conditions for an agreement with Tehran.
Source: Voice of America
