State Dept. to drop Iraq, Myanmar from list of worst child soldier offenders: report

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is slated to remove Iraq and Myanmar from a U.S. list of the world's worst offenders on the use of child soldiers, Reuters reported Friday.

The State Department is reportedly moving ahead with the action, despite internal opposition from officials at the department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, which historically has had an influential voice on the matter.

Reuters also said that Tillerson will not add Afghanistan to the list, despite internal calls to do so. One official told the news outlet that the decision appeared to have been made after pressure from the Pentagon to avoid complications in assisting the Iraqi and Afghan militaries.

Human Rights Watch said removing Myanmar, known previously as Burma, would be a "completely premature and disastrous action that will effectively betray more children to continued servitude and rights abuses."

Myanmar is of interest to the U.S. due to its border with China. The Chinese government has looked to improve relations with Myanmar, which could eclipse U.S. interests in the region.

Iraq is also of great interest to the U.S. due to its involvement and role in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Source: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/339264-despite-internal-opposition-state-department-to-remove-iraq-and