Defence minister was briefed about young detainees suspected of helping the Taliban
According to a newly released secret document obtained under an Access to Information request, the Canadian Forces have for years been arresting children suspected of colluding with the Taliban. The kids were then handed over to Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, which has in the past been accused of torture (an issue that was hotly debated in Parliament last fall). The document also shows that Defence Minister Peter MacKay has been briefed on the topic of juvenile detainees, which included information about how many children suspected of “participating in the insurgency” have been arrested by Canadian Forces in the last four years. Specific figures were blacked out of the document.