Taliban turns kids on troops

2003-07-30 18:25

Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan - Taliban and al-Qaeda extremists are using children carrying pen bombs to attack US-led coalition troops in Afghanistan, a US military spokesperson said on Wednesday after two children were injured by an exploding pen.

"There are reports of anti-coalition forces typically using non-threatening children, women and handicapped people to approach coalition forces with exploding ink pens as a method of attack on the coalition," Colonel Rodney Davis told reporters at Bagram Air Base 50km north of Kabul.

"I can only characterise the use of children to behave in such a manner as despicable," he said.

Davis said two Afghan boys were brought to Deh Rawood firebase in central Uruzgan province on Thursday for treatment for injuries caused by an ink pen rigged with explosives.

"The following day a boy approached coalition forces on patrol in Deh Rawood and offered a member of the patrol one of these ink pens but the boy was turned away."

Colonel Davis on Saturday said coalition forces expected Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters to resort to "terror" attacks after their failure on the battlefield.

Remnants of the Taliban regime ousted in late 2001 and their al-Qaeda terror organisation allies continue to launch regular attacks on coalition and pro-government forces.

An Afghan pro-government soldier was killed and two aid organisation vehicles torched on Tuesday by suspected Taliban in an attack in Uruzgan province.

In neighbouring Helmand province six Afghan soldiers were killed in another ambush by suspected Taliban.

A US-led coalition force of some 12 500 troops, including 10 000 Americans, is currently hunting Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants and helping with reconstruction across Afghanistan.

- AFX