Adam Wilkie, 17, lies about his age to fight Taliban but he's too young to play Call of Duty

By Gavin Allen

Last updated at 12:35 PM on 26th January 2012

A 17-year-old soldier lied about his age to so he could fight the Taliban on the frontline in Afghanistan - despite not being old enough to play war game Call of Duty.

Adam Wilkie was three months off the age threshold for frontline duty - and too young to buy the 18-rated computer game - when he took part in firefights in the notoriously dangerous Helmand province.

Soldiers are meant to be 18 to serve in Afghanistan but Wilkie pulled the wool over the eyes of his superiors - thanks in part to his burly physique - and spent six weeks in combat in Lashkar Gah in 2010.

Boy soldier: Adam Wilkie, now 19, dodged army rules to fight on the frontline in Afghanistan when he was aged just 17 years and nine months old - younger than the soldiers pictured here

It is understood that Wilkie looked older than his 17 years and nine months at the time, which meant the relevant authorities did not think to check his date of birth ahead of the move.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed to MailOnline: 'The fact that an individual aged 17 years and nine months was sent to an operational theatre is regrettable, and goes against stated MoD policy.

'Our processes are robust and this extremely rare situation was down to human error.

'The Army has taken action to try to ensure that this does not happen again.'

War games: At 17 Wilkie was too young to legally own 18 certificate console games such as Call Of Duty, but he fought the Taliban for real

TOO YOUNG TO VOTE: UNDER 18s

As a 17-year-old Adam Wilkie considered himself old enough to face down the Taliban.

However, international law said he was not old enough, and in the UK the laws of the land mean he was not legally able to do a variety of things alongside his frontline colleagues.

Despite taking part in firefights, he was not able to buy fireworks.

Wilkie wouldn't be allowed to get his regiment's crest tattooed on his body.

He couldn't walk into a pub while on leave and buy alcohol or cigarettes.

Getting married was off limits without his parents' permission.

He could not change his name by deed poll or vote in an election.

Neither could he apply for a mortgage or credit card, or even place a bet.

But while his actions contravene MoD guidelines, he has been praised for courage by sources inside the military.

A source told The Sun: 'It was like World War Two when recruits hid their age to enlist.

'The lad was just desperate to get out there and prove himself. He knew he was underage.'

Checks on soldiers departing Britain for Afghanistan are stringent but Wilkie managed to evade protocol because he went to Afghanistan from Cyprus.

Wilkie, now 19, was stationed with the Theatre Reserve Battalion, which provides acclimatised troops to reinforce the frontline in Afghanistan when required.

Wilkie, thought to be from Manchester, continues to serve as Kingsman in Second Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment - nicknamed The Lions of England.  

Sending under-18s to the frontline is prohibited in international law.

The rules are set out in  the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Article 1 states: 'Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that members of their armed forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities.'

Until 2002 it was standard practice for the UK to deploy under-18s and they served on the frontline in the the Balkans, the Gulf and the Falklands.

However, the Convention was created in 2002 and was ratified by the UK in 2003, bringing an end to the practice.

Prior to 2002, the minimum age for participation in armed conflict was 15, as set down in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols.

Several groups, such as Child Soldiers' International, campaign against the recruitment of underage soldiers into government armed forces in Western countries as well as worldwide.

Source : dailymail

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