U.S. State Department: Taliban Recruited Over 340 Children as Soldiers in 2023

Photo: AP via the independent

The United States Department of State, in its annual human rights report, has announced that the United Nations documented the recruitment of 342 children by the Taliban as soldiers in 2023.

According to the report, which was published on Tuesday (August 12), 150 boys were used in combat and 192 other boys served in support roles. These cases were recorded despite the fact that the Taliban leader had previously issued a decree banning the use of children in the group’s ranks.

The State Department report also says that in 2023, about 30 children between the ages of 10 and 18 were recruited into a Taliban military training center in Badakhshan province. Between April 2023 and March 2024, armed groups affiliated with the Taliban also recruited or used child soldiers.

In addition, the report addresses the rise of child marriage in Afghanistan, stating that this trend has intensified due to the deprivation of girls from education and the suppression of women’s rights by the Taliban. Citing the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it notes that 38 percent of Afghan women were married before reaching the age of 18.