Iran using children in security roles in war, reports and witnesses say

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC they were unable to verify this unless provided with the co-ordinates of the alleged strike.Rahim Nadali, of the IRGC's Tehran-muhammad-rasulollah-corps" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="102686" data-entity-type="organization">Greater Tehran Muhammad Rasulollah Corps, said the new programme, known as Iran" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="102687" data-entity-type="organization">Homeland Defender Fighters for Iran, would place children on various duties, including patrols and deployment at checkpoints. Recruitment, he added, could take place at mosques attached to the Basij militia in Tehran, and in city squares where pro-establishment rallies have been held.The Basij is a volunteer militia controlled by the IRGC, with an estimated one million members. It is often deployed on the streets to suppress dissent. Israel has said it recently targeted several Basij checkpoints.Despite a government-imposed internet outage in Iran, the BBC has spoken to four eyewitnesses who said they had seen children under the age of 18 at checkpoints in Tehran, the nearby city of Karaj, and the northern city of Rasht.Names have been changed for security reasons.Golnaz, who is in her 20s in east Tehran, told the BBC that she had seen armed teenagers taking part in Basiji forces when she went out after an air strike on 9 March to see what was going on.Sara, also in her 20s in west Tehran, told the BBC that she saw a teenager at a checkpoint on 25 March."He was holding a gun at the cars. He and the others were stopping cars and searching them. He was short and slight."Last month, ordinary Iranians told the BBC about security checkpoints around the capital, where they said residents were stopped and searched.Those who have been able to connect to the internet have told the BBC that the practice is still going on, and that some patrols go around with the Islamic Republic's flag and loudspeakers during the night.Some have told the BBC that they have seen teenagers at checkpoints in cities other than Tehran as well.Peyman, who is in his 20s and lives in Karaj, told the BBC that he saw what he called a "teenage boy" with a Kalashnikov at a checkpoint on 30 March. "His moustache hadn't fully grown," he said.Tina, who is also in her 20s and comes from Rasht, told the BBC that she saw young people on duty in a square in the city on 14 March."They were wearing masks so their faces were covered. But it's obvious that they are children; I can see it from their eyes. They are short as well. They stand in front of those adult forces. I feel pity for them and I get scared at the same time."In a report on the recruitment campaign, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it was a "grave violation of children's rights and a war crime when the children are under 15".