What nobody has every explained to me about Omar Khadr

Omar Khadr will learn today if he makes bail.

 

Here is what I know about his case:

-          As a fifteen year old he was taken to Afghanistan by his father to fight.

-          He was (I am fairly certain) indoctrinated as a child into his father’s vicious and mistaken beliefs.

-          In Afghanistan he was engaged in a firefight with U.S. forces. At the tail end of this firefight a badly wounded Khadr threw a grenade which killed one U.S. Army Medic.

-          Khadr was incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay and subsequently transferred to Canada.

I also know that people who are smarter and more in the know than I am view Omar Khadr as a dangerous man.

What I don’t understand is why he is not regarded as a child soldier? I have not seen any evidence to suggest that he committed any horrible acts beyond throwing a grenade in what was, clearly, a firefight – not a heinous act of murder, per se.

Yes, 15 years and 10 months of age can be tried in adult court and face adult sentences. Fair enough. But the fact that he was indoctrinated and taken to Afghanistan by his father ought to speak to his sentence and he was, at the time of the offence, a child.

I have always thought there is more to this story as I simply cannot understand the deep level of hate and vendetta that is aimed at Khadr. Maybe it’s deserved but nobody has ever explained that to me.