US accuses Houthis of recruiting and indoctrinating child soldiers

Neil W. Hopper, the US chargé d'affaires in Yemen, has accused the Houthi group of recruiting children, indoctrinating them with its ideology, and sending them to the front lines.

Hopper called for protecting Yemeni children from military exploitation, stating that they deserve a real childhood, not brainwashing or being drawn into the Houthis' death-driven sect, according to Al Arabiya.

The US envoy also accused the Houthi leader of being the "tail of Khomeini," reproducing the same history in Yemen.

Hopper warned that the group’s practices deprive an entire generation of their childhood, putting their lives and futures at risk. He noted that recruiting children exposes them to abduction, psychological trauma, and long-term effects on their lives.

He stressed that the children sent to fight by the group are not the sons of Houthi leaders, but the children of innocent Yemeni families.