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29 U. La Verne L. Rev. 56 (2008)
Child Soldiers: Victims or Perpetrators

handle is hein.journals/jjuvl29 and id is 58 raw text is: CHILD SOLDIERS: VICTIMS OR PERPETRATORS? MATTHEW HAPPOLD* I. INTRODUCTION: THE CASE OF OMAR KHADR On 27 July 2002, Omar Khadr was detained by United States forces in Afghanistan.' According to the allegations against him, he was captured following a fire fight between U.S. Special Forces and a group of Al-Qaeda operatives.2 While searching an area near the vil- lage of Abu Ykhiel in the east of the country, U.S. Special Forces and Afghan militia came across five heavily-armed Arab men sitting in a compound.3 The group responded to an attempt to negotiate their surrender by opening fire, killing two Afghan militiamen.' The battle continued for four hours, ending only when air support was called in and the compound bombed.5 His four comrades were killed but Khadr, although wounded, survived the bombardment.6 When Spe- cial Forces soldiers entered the ruins of the compound, Khadr threw a grenade at them, wounding Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer, who later died of his injuries.7 Khadr, who was brandishing a pistol, took two shots to the chest.8 When U.S. soldiers approached him, he called out to them, Shoot me. Please, just shoot me.' Khadr was detained and received medical treatment for his inju- ries.'0 He was originally held at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan. * MA (Oxon); MSc, LLM (London); PhD (Nottingham); Diploma (Hague Acad- emy of International Law); Reader in Law, University of Hull; barrister, 3 Hare Court, London. 1. Isabel Vincent, The Good Son, NATIONAL POST, Dec. 28, 2002, http:/! www.hvk.org/articles/1202/293.html. 2. See Id.; Jeff Tietz, The Unending Torture of Omar Khadr, ROLLING STONE, Aug. 10, 2006, http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/11128331/follow-omar-khadr-from-an _al_qaeda_childhoodto-a__gitmoscell/print. 3. Vincent, supra note 1. 4. Id. 5. Id. 6. Id. 7. Id. 8. Id. 9. Vincent, supra note 1. 10. Tietz, supra note 2. 11. Id.

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