On Monday October 25th, 2010, a former child soldier pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges that consisted of tossing a hand grenade during a firefight, killing a U.S. Army Sergeant, Christopher Speer in 2002. He also admitted to planting a total of 10 roadside bombs in assistance for Al Qaeda. Mr. Khadr (the child terrorist) was 15-years-old when he was captured in Afghanistan and was later held in a military prison located in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Once he pleaded guilty, this meant that he would be the first person to stand trial before a military commission under the Obama administration. He stated that he was "coerced" by older relatives and family into fighting for Al Qaeda and was not at fault. Having said that, Mr. Khadr has been given immunity to a life sentence but a group of seven military officers will be deciding the length of his prison sentence. The United States and Canada negotiated and came to the conclusion that allowed Mr. Khadr, after a year, to apply for a transfer to Canadian custody to serve the remainder of his sentence instead of staying in the horrible prison in Guantanamo Bay. This goes to show that Al Qaeda is so horrible that they're willing to force their children into fighting in dangerous environments, risking the lives of innocent people.
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