FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/REX TILLERSON/STATE: “The State Department on Tuesday defended Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s exclusion of Iraq, Afghanistan and Myanmar from a list of countries cited for recruiting and using child soldiers, a decision that went against recommendations from top department officials.
Mr. Tillerson in June disregarded internal department recommendations and decided not to include the three countries on a list the State Department must issue each year in accordance with the Child Soldiers Prevention Act…
The U.S. supports the Iraqi and Afghan militaries and is seeking cooperation from Myanmar’s military in cracking down on North Korea.
State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday that Mr. Tillerson decided not to include Iraq, Afghanistan and Myanmar based on information he reviewed from nongovernmental, intelligence, diplomatic and other sources…
A copy of a ‘dissent channel’ memo from top State Department officials, published Tuesday by Reuters, accused Mr. Tillerson of violating the law by choosing not to include the three countries despite ample documentation of their use and recruitment of child soldiers.”
-Paul Sonne, “State Department Defends Tillerson on Child-Soldiers Decision,” The Wall Street Journal online, Nov. 21, 2017 07:17pm