Law Journal Library - HeinOnline.org Skip to main content
Content Start

Click here to view short-term subscription options to access this document.

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.

Already a Subscriber?


What Is HeinOnline?


HeinOnline is the world’s largest image-based and fully searchable legal and academic research database. Material contained in HeinOnline is an exact replication of the original printed product, and coverage is typically comprehensive. Contact us today for a free demo of this incredible resource.

We offer annual subscriptions to all HeinOnline collections to universities, colleges, law firms, individuals, and other institutions. To request a quote or trial, please click here.

Please note: the content in the Law Journal Library is constantly changing and some content has restrictions as required per the license. Therefore, please review the available content via the following link to ensure the material you wish to access is included in the database. For a complete list of content included in the Law Journal Library, please click here.

Learn More About the Law Journal Library (pdf)
Back To Top Jump To Bottom