Two former child soldiers have threatened legal action against the private security company Aegis Defence Services over psychological harm they say they suffered when the company recruited them as adults to work as mercenaries in Iraq. The men were recruited as child soldiers in Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war, which ended in 2002, their solicitor Rebekah Read of Leigh Day has told the Guardian. Years later, as adults, they were hired to work as security guards for Aegis in Iraq, she said. The company was taken over last year by the Canadian security company GardaWorld. UK firm 'employed former child soldiers' as mercenaries in Iraq Read moreA former senior director at Aegis defended the practice of hiring personnel from Sierra Leone, saying the company had a “duty” to recruit there because they were cheaper than Europeans.

Source: The Guardian November 18, 2016 06:56 UTC