Turkey rapped over child soldiers in Syria and Libya

US State Department for the first time points a finger at a Nato ally over human trafficking

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on the release of the 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report at the State Department in Washington. AFP/Pool

The US on Thursday added Turkey to a list of nations involved in recruiting and using child soldiers, linking Ankara to underage fighters deployed on the battlefields of Libya and Syria.

The US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report said Turkey provided “tangible support” to Syria’s Sultan Murad rebel group, which recruited and used underage combatants in the country’s decade-long civil war.

A US official also referred to Turkish involvement in the use of child soldiers in Libya’s conflict.

By listing Turkey, Washington was for the first time placing a Nato ally on its list of shame for human trafficking — a move likely to further complicate the already testy relations between the two countries.

“As a respected regional leader and member of Nato, Turkey has the opportunity to address this issue, the recruitment and use of child soldiers in Syria and Libya,” the State Department official said.

Washington and Ankara have increasingly been at loggerheads over the war in Syria, Turkish arms purchases from Russia and other issues, prompting questions about Turkish help for the US pullout from Afghanistan.

Governments placed on the trafficking list face restrictions on security assistance and commercial licensing of military equipment, absent a presidential waiver, the report said. It was not clear if Turkey would face any restrictions.

The State Department’s annual trafficking report also singled out China, South Sudan, Myanmar, Belarus, Cuba, Nicaragua, Russia and others for failing to do enough to fight the global scourge of people smuggling.

Ethiopia was criticised for allowing potential trafficking crimes amid the conflict in the northern region of Tigray.

Researchers praised Saudi Arabia for “making significant efforts” against traffickers but said the kingdom still had work to do. Israel's anti-trafficking efforts were “not serious and sustained”, the report added.

Trafficking gangs have taken advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to expand their operations as governments divert their resources to fight the health crisis, researchers found.