(The Washington Post) – The State Department on Tuesday defended Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s removal of three countries from a list of those using child soldiers, after officials upset about his decision wrote a critical dissent memo saying the action violates U.S. law. The dispute centers on the recruitment and use of child soldiers in Afghanistan, Burma and Iraq. All were included on an original list compiled by senior officials within the State Department and embassies around the world and passed along to Tillerson with the recommendation they be included. Under the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008, the State Department must publish a list of offending countries every year, making them ineligible for some types of military aid.
State Department employees split with Tillerson on child-soldiers list
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