Here's another fact of the War to think about. This report is from the Brookings Institue, a well-respected think tank.

FACING SADDAM'S CHILD SOLDIERS
Although there is global consensus against the morality of sending children into battle, this terrible practice is now a regular facet of contemporary warfare. There are some 300,000 children under the age of 18(both boys and girls) presently serving as combatants around the globe,
fighting in approximately 75% of the world's conflicts. A war in Iraq would only boost these numbers. "One of the potential costs of a war in
Iraq may well be that U.S. military forces are forced to engage in combat with Baghdad's child soldiers," writes Peter Singer. Saddam Husayn's
deliberate recruitment of children into armed units may be a clear violation of the laws of war, but it is also a fact that U.S. policymakers
cannot avoid. Children may not belong on the battlefield, but they may well be present in a war with Iraq. The only question is whether our
troops will be prepared for the stress, trauma, and demoralization that accompanies fighting against children, a special category of individuals traditionally considered outside the scope of war.
http://www.brookings.edu/views/op-ed/singer/20030114.htm Brookings Article

[ January 24, 2003, 09:35 AM: Message edited by: Candice Johnson ]