Yemeni child soldier reveals how Iran-backed Houthis ‘lured’ him into fighting
A Yemeni child revealed in a video that the Iran-backed Houthi militias had “lured” him into fighting, took advantage of his family’s financial circumstances and nearly got him killed on the fronts of Naham, east of the capital Sanaa.
In the video published by the Media Centre of the Yemeni Armed Forces, Abdulsalam al-Jazar said he was tricked by a Houthi leader named Rabih Saleh who had convinced him to attend a course to listen to Quranic verses and religious teachings then he would receive his “Eid gift” at the end.
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When the course ended, al-Jazar and other children were instructed to wait for a committee to bring them the monetary gifts they were promised, only to realize there was no committee and the boys were later taken to the fighting fronts in Naham.
The child continued to tell his story on video saying three hours after the boys arrived, the national army had attacked the location and al-Jazar was forced to surrender but 12 other children were killed in the attack.
Al-Jazar, through the published video, called on other children not to believe the Houthi leaders who he described as “traitors” and thieves.
“Go back to your homes and don’t allow the Houthis to deceive you then stab you in the back,” he added.
The Yemeni government has continuously denounced child recruitments by the Houthi militias, accusing them of recruiting nearly 30,000 children.
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