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It is the first time the US has included a NATO ally on the list.
The United States has added Turkey to a list of countries that have been implicated in the use of child soldiers over the past year, in a move that is likely to further complicate the relations between Ankara and Washington.
In the 2021 Trafficking in Persons report, it is stated that Turkey has been providing support to the Sultan Murad Division, a faction of the Syrian opposition in Syria, which recruited and used child soldiers.
A senior State Department official cited the use of child soldiers in Libya as well, saying that Washington hopes to work with Ankara to resolve the issue.
A Foreign Ministry official said, “Especially regarding Turkey… For the first time, a NATO member state is on the list”
According to the State Department’s report, countries on this list are subject to certain restrictions in security assistance and the commercial licensing of military equipment.
It is not yet known whether the restrictions will be applied automatically with the addition of Turkey to the list.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) recently announced that the number of child soldiers sent to Libya has reached 150.
Hawar News Agency has obtained an image of children holding guns alongside members of an armed gang known as Firqet 20 in Ras al-Ayn in northeast Syria.
