| Washington has alerted the Philippines to a recent practice of terrorist groups of increasing their ranks by abducting children to become soldiers and slaves. The United States State Department reported that terrorist organizations in Sri Lanka, Colombia, Uganda, and Nepal are now practicing this heinous system and terrorists in the Philippines may not be far behind. John Miller, director of the U.S. State Departmentâs Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, said, âThere are a number of terrorist groups in the Philippines that may be abducting individuals especially children to augment their needs.â Miller admitted, however, they have yet to receive specific information on child abduction by Philippine terrorists. Miller was speaking in Washington through a video teleconference with Manila-based reporters at the U.S. Embassy Wednesday morning. The Armed Forces had reported that the NPA already has younger teenage combatants with several having been captured, but the communists continue to deny they have such child soldiers. |