U.S. adds Turkey to the list of countries suspected of using child soldiers Reuters

Humera Pamuk

Washington (Reuters)-The United States on Thursday added Turkey to the list of countries suspected of using child soldiers in the past year. This is the first time that NATO allies have been included in such a list. The already worrying relationship is further complicated.

The U.S. State Department determined in its 2021 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) that Turkey is providing “tangible support” to the Sultan Murad department in Syria, which is the Syrian opposition faction that Ankara has long supported, as well as the recruitment and use An organization of child soldiers.

Turkey did not immediately respond to this move.

In a briefing call with reporters, a senior State Department official also mentioned the use of child soldiers in Libya, saying that Washington hopes to cooperate with Ankara to resolve this issue.

“Especially as far as Turkey…this is the first time that a NATO member has been included in the Child Soldier Prevention Act,” said a State Department official. “As a respected regional leader and NATO member, Turkey has the opportunity to solve this problem-recruiting and using child soldiers in Syria and Libya,” she said.

Turkey has carried out three cross-border operations in Syria against the so-called Islamic State and U.S.-backed Kurdish militias, and often uses factions of Syrian armed fighters on top of its own forces.

Some of these groups have been accused by human rights groups and the United Nations of indiscriminately attacking civilians, kidnapping and looting. The United Nations has asked Ankara to control these Syrian rebels, but Turkey has denied these allegations, calling them “baseless.”

Turkey has also been involved in the Libyan conflict through its proxies and its own armed forces. Ankara’s support helped the government in Tripoli reverse a 14-month attack by the eastern army backed by Egypt and Russia.

According to the State Department’s report, without the president’s exemption, governments on this list are restricted in certain security assistance and commercial licenses for military equipment.

It is not clear whether any restrictions will automatically apply to Turkey. This move raises the question of whether Turkey will disrupt Ankara’s ongoing negotiations with Washington on Turkey’s operation of the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan once the United States completes its withdrawal.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the two events are unlikely to be linked. “Speaking of human trafficking, I don’t want to link today’s report with the constructive discussions we are having with Turkey, in Afghanistan or any other area of ​​common interest,” he said in a briefing.

After NATO withdrew, Turkey proposed to protect and manage Hamid Karzai Airport, and has been negotiating with the United States on logistical and financial support for the mission.

In the context of tensions, this mission could become an area of ​​potential cooperation between Ankara and its allies, as the security of the airport is critical to the operation of the diplomatic mission after the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Jack Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, has stated that in order to carry out this task, Ankara seeks various financial and operational support. President Biden said in a meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan last month , The United States will provide support.

When talking about Afghanistan, Price described Turkey as a “very constructive and very helpful partner” and added that Washington could express more opinions on its impact.

He said: “As you know, the president may waive the immunity, but if it does, it will happen in the next few months.”