Omar Khadr: The Youngest Terrorist?

Was Only 15 Years Old When He Was Captured In Afghanistan

(CBS)  Violence became part of life for the Khadrs starting in 2001, when the United States rained bombs on Afghanistan, and the Khadr family found themselves in the middle of a jihad, a holy war. Radical Muslims, like the Khadrs, saw this as a great opportunity to fight and die and get to paradise by becoming martyrs for Islam.

In 2002, Omar was captured in the firefight and asked to be killed. And there was more to come. In 2003, a Pakistani army unit attacked a house with suspected al Qaeda members inside. They showed off the bodies of men they had killed. One of them turned out to be Omar’s father.

Omar's younger brother, Abdul Karim Khadr, 14 years old, had been in the house with his father. He was shot in the back and paralyzed.

In 2004, the remnants of the Khadr family moved back to Toronto, where George Crile interviewed Abdul Karim and his mother, Maha Khadr.

"Were you in some way sorry that you did not die that day?" Crile asked Abdul Karim.

"Yeah," he replied.

Sorry, he said, because he was denied the opportunity of getting to paradise, where 72 stunning virgins would await him. "Somebody would look at them like for 40 years and he would stay looking and looking," Abdul Karim said.

"Because they’re so beautiful?" Crile asked.

"Yeah," the teen replied. "And one piece of her perfume would come it would, you wouldn't smell anything but that."

"Mrs. Khadr, can you explain the concept of the virgins for the brothers?" Crile asked Maha Khadr.

"Yes. They talk about it day and night. And sometimes, some wives would get so, you know, kind of annoyed or they say, 'Well is this all you’re fighting for?' You know? Because they really just go in too much details about the description," she replied.

Abdul Karim said he even offered to become a suicide bomber. "I told my father, 'Just give me a belt and I’ll blow myself up. I'll go and just do anything,'" he said.

As for his brother Omar, Abdul Karim believed he'd get out of Guantanamo and get even. "When he’s all right again he’ll find them again … and take his revenge," he said.

That was in 2004. Today, the Khadrs have changed their tune. In their small apartment in Toronto, they no longer speak about Omar taking revenge.

His mother says she just wants him to come home. "I pray that he’s just, I see him alive standing in front of me," Maha Khadr tells Simon. "I don’t want him to be brought back in a plastic bag. Terrifies me very much."

General Altenburg says that even though Omar Khadr is accused of murdering an American soldier, because of his age the U.S. will not ask for the death penalty.

"Is there anything in his case that bothers you?" Simon asks.

"Bothers me in what way?" Altenburg replies.

"Just bothers you that either he should be considered a child soldier or shouldn’t be mixed with other adults?" Simon asks.

"I'm concerned that anybody that age is on a battlefield, but once there and once doing the types of things that he was doing, I think that the system should probably prosecute him the way they are," Altenburg says.

And that is as an adult and a terrorist. And even if Omar Khadr is exonerated to some extent at his trial, the United States does not have to let him go until the war, this war on terror, is over.

---

Out of the 305 detainees in Guantanamo, Omar Khadr's case will be only the second to be prosecuted. The U.S. says an eyewitness has recently provided new evidence that could bolster Khadr's defense.

[eniap57071]

i am really shocked that you even remotely imply we feel sorry for this thug. he can rot in that prison for the rest of his life as far as i am concerned. eliminate the chance that he may perpetuate his ilk. i wonder what americans would feel sorry for him. probably ones who have a deep seeded hatred for the u.s.

[artcampbell1]

My apologies for the repeated messages below

[artcampbell1]

Arabs have not attacked us. They retaliated. We attacked Arabs by supporting Israel. The Jews, well justified in wanting a country of their own, chose Palestine. The extremists (Zionists) announced they wanted all of Palestine as a Jewish only state. Arabs were to be killed or transported (exiled). The Arabs retaliated first against Israel and then against the US which supported Israel massively. 9/11 was retaliation. Britain, Spain and Australia suffered similar fates. Our attack on Afghanistan was part of the retaliation for retaliation. The Afghan supporters, including Khadr resisted. Perhaps if we stopped attacking Arabs, they would stop attacking us.

[artcampbell1]

Arabs have not attacked us. They retaliated. We attacked Arabs by supporting Israel. The Jews, well justified in wanting a country of their own, chose Palestine. The extremists (Zionists) announced they wanted all of Palestine as a Jewish only state. Arabs were to be killed or transported (exiled). The Arabs retaliated first against Israel and then against the US which supported Israel massively. 9/11 was retaliation. Britain, Spain and Australia suffered similar fates. Our attack on Afghanistan was part of the retaliation for retaliation. The Afghan supporters, including Khadr resisted. Perhaps if we stopped attacking Arabs, they would stop attacking us.

[artcampbell1]

Most of the comments suggest that Afghans/Arabs attacked us. Not true. They retaliated. We attacked them first. The establishment of Israel on land claimed by Arabs resulted in the Arabs/Palestinians retaliating. The US supported Israel massively and the Palestinian suporters retaliated by attacking a navy ship and embassies, and the US retaliated, attacking caves in Afghanistan. The Palestinian supporters retaliated with 9/11 leading to 9/11. We attacked Afghanistan. Khadr and other Afghani/Palestinian supporters resisted. I wondeer if we stopped interfering in Middle East affairs if the Arabs would stop interfering with us?

[joenavy6]

To see stories about Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit http://www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil

[mctimm61]

I''m a Canadian who hopes the U.S. locks this miserable creep up for the rest of his unnatural life. Perhaps the U.S. would be willing to incarcerate the rest of his family who are no doubt surviving on the misplaced generosity of the Canadian taxpayer. What''s really galling about the publicity given to this case is the fact every month it seems Canadian soldiers are dying in Afghanistan defending the rights this terrorist and his family have so readily denounced.

[toolmangler-2009]

Their "us" and "we" doesn''''t include Canada unless it benefits them.
Posted by sapidity at 06:02 PM : Nov 19, 2007


I hate to confirm your suspicions, Yep! its your turn next, you don''t think CAFTA, NAFTA didn''t include you Canadians did you. Welcome to the club!! I wonder what feely is going to do now, No more Americans to curse and Canada will not fight as hard as we did so they will be easy.

[sapidity]

I live in Canada and so have the dubious benefit of hearing about the Khadrs more than people in the US. Basically they''re a bunch of thugs who would be quite happy to turn Canada (and the U.S) into an Islamic dictatorship but meanwhile want all the benefits of Canadian democracy and whine if they think their rights are being impinged in the slightest way. Their "us" and "we" doesn''t include Canada unless it benefits them.

[likeablunchs]

'' .. i acquired such piles of such stuff, that my co-workets became so envious that they entered a state of such diminished capacity as to reduce their ability to produce goods and services, thereby reducing my ability to acquire piles of stuff .. so i compiled, with their assistance, 244,140,625 catalogs of stuff they could shop for with free catalog dollars (1 shopping ''mall'' / catalog for each 625 folk) .. and so i re-enabled them to do more business with the outside world and the inside world as well .. ''

[denn034]

Age doesn''t matter. If they''re a terrorist, then, treat them like terrorists.

[hubrod-2009]

speakinup you are the ignorant one here. The Family was moved to afghanistan in the 90''s because the boy was born in canada, does not make him canadian. He grew up in afghanistan, he was and is an afghanie.

[hubrod-2009]

I love this talk of murder. All of these detainees at gitmo are prisoners of war. this kid was in a compound that had been bombed, they didn''t expect anyone to survive. when the bombing stoppet he threw a grenade, this is something you do in a war. in a war you try to kill your enemy. Do we call all soldiers murderers for doing their job, which is to kill the enemy. are all our war heros to be considered murderers now. If you call these people murderers, and unlawful combatants, can not the enemy do the same to our guys. think before you listen to the bulls*** from dubya and the gang. We are at war, how we treat prisoners of war defines who we are. stop the silly trials, enforce the geneva convention and treat these people as what they are Prisoners of war.

[krazykat2525]

Bush could not go to war without Congresses backing. they were given the same facts he was. Look to the archives and find out who voted 4 the war. Any teenage boy with out of control hormones given the fantasy he will get 72 virgins to make him happy will do just about anything to make this fantasy come true. A lot of adult men do. Hence the suicide bombers. The head of the cia was fired due to the misinformation given which lead to the war. Get the facts b/4 u start bashing Bush. Whatever he has done, not done, he is far better than having had Kerry who flip flopped like a fish (and still does).He wanted $6.54 tax on your gas b/4 gas prices even went up.

[peachsurpriz]

I think the guy was lured into trouble when i researched his families name for a terrorist report, i had never heard the name before and searched for more info. Everyone i look up gets charged somewhere.
Morons were hired into the CIA by the corrupted officals who hired a 9-11 plotter and gave her immunity. She works on your tax dollars.. thats why im monitored. I know this to be a fact.
Pam Toll Park Forest IL USA

[peachsurpriz]

I think the guy was lured into trouble when i researched his families name for a terrorist report, i had never heard the name before and searched for more info. Everyone i look up gets charged somewhere.
Morons were hired into the CIA by the corrupted officals who hired a 9-11 plotter and gave her immunity. She works on your tax dollars.. thats why im monitored. I know this to be a fact.
Pam Toll Park Forest IL USA

[peachsurpriz]

I think the guy was lured into trouble when i researched his families name for a terrorist report, i had never heard the name before and searched for more info. Everyone i look up gets charged somewhere.
Morons were hired into the CIA by the corrupted officals who hired a 9-11 plotter and gave her immunity. She works on your tax dollars.. thats why im monitored. I know this to be a fact.
Pam Toll Park Forest IL USA

[mpsanch99]

I have a son and daughter teaching in two countries with a significant Muslim population. I don''t give a *** how old he is, keep him locked up! And does anyone honestly believe the family recantation? Please keep a close eye on all of them, especially the 14 year old - wheelchair or not!

Now can we address the real problem here - what some ADULT Muslims are teaching their children? How do we change this? Because until we do, we will continue to see children used as weapons! Not our choice but our reality.

[speakinup]

"I wonder what a young American would do if his country is invaded and people are shot at? Not defend himself? I doubt it! Posted by nirak2

Hey ignorant jackass - do you know how to read ?

This 15 year old dimwit was in Afghanistan, yet he is a Canadian. Spare us your diarrhea of the fingertips unless you read the facts first.

[speakinup]

"Absolutly ridiculous. Bush and Cheney should be in prison not this little Canadian boy. When do the war crime trials start for the real criminal regeim?
Posted by zoltaric

Yeah - ridiculous - they shuld have shot him for the spy he is 5 years ago. Zoltaric - you are an idotic ignornat ingrate that has been listening to his own far left viewpoint for so long that you need to be medically treated for inbread thoughts.

To bad it wasn''t your father, mother, son, or daughter this piece of human trash shot.