US Criticizes Iran’s Basij and IRGC for Using ‘Children’ in Regional Warfare
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations criticized Iran’s Basij forces on Thursday for using schoolchildren, some reportedly no older than 12 years old, in combat operations.
Nikki Haley, speaking at a UN Security Council session on the Middle East situation, added that these children are later deployed to the region to fight for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Stating that the Basij operates under the supervision of the IRGC, she said the IRGC, in addition to suppressing critics within the country, provides military training to Basij forces for warfare.
According to Haley, the Iranian regime has used the Basij since at least early 2015 to recruit Iranian children and train them to fight in Syria and support the Assad regime.
The US representative to the United Nations, who has resigned from her position and will remain in office until the end of 2018, said the Basij has also used Afghan migrants for this purpose.
These statements come two days after the United States imposed sanctions on 20 institutions and companies affiliated with the “Basij Cooperation Foundation,” which provides financial resources for Iran’s paramilitary forces.
The US government says Iran has destabilized the Middle East by continuing its ballistic missile program and hostile activities in the region, and has set 12 conditions for any agreement with Tehran.
Source: Voice of America
