Under Sharia law he was not. In previous world wars it was not uncommon to see 15 years old volunteer out of their sense of duty. No one coerced Khadr. Khadr lived in Waziristan in the Pakistan mountains bordering Afghanistan. where Bin Laden also hid out. Khadr fought with the terrorists. The U.N. didn't change their definition of a 'child' soldier until 2007 long after Khadr was taken prisoner.