Like success, only different

The U.S. military says a spike in child fighters shows that the "surge" is working.

Published August 27, 2007 11:43AM (EDT)

The Los Angeles Times reports this morning that "child fighters" -- some as young as 11 -- are now playing "a significant and growing role in kidnappings, killings and roadside bombings" in Iraq.

The U.S. military says it's a sign that the "surge" is working. Here's Maj. Gen. Douglas Stone, the U.S. commander of detainee operations in Iraq: "As our operations have increased, al-Qaida [in Iraq] and others have used more minors in the fight against us, and in the process we have detained more and more juveniles."


By Tim Grieve

Tim Grieve is a senior writer and the author of Salon's War Room blog.

MORE FROM Tim Grieve


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Iraq War War Room