KABUL (SW): A joint study by the government and the Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) declared on Tuesday there is no minor serving in the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF).
The joint investigation team visited recruitment and training centers for the security forces in all 34 provinces to probe whether there are any minors serving in the security forces. The teams comprised of representatives from the AIHRC, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the Attorney General’s Office and the security organs.
Mohammad Younus Hotak, Presidential Advisor and member of this team, told journalists in Kabul that all men and women recruited in the ANSDF are 18 or above. He categorically rejected rumors about minors serving in the security forces. Hotak said the report would soon be shared with the President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and the international community to quell all rumors in this regard.
Abdullah Abed, representing AIHRC, said on the occasion that no concrete evidence was found to prove the presence of minors in the ANSDF. He added 20 soldiers who seemed younger than 18 years were discharged from service as a precautionary measure.
The report further noted that some 686 recruits who were believed to be minor had been discharged from service in the past. Similarly, another 3000 recruits believed to be drug addicts were discharged in the past.
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