Boys taught to kill, kidnap in al-Qaida propaganda video
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Boys in soccer jerseys don black masks and grab weapons. They scramble over mud brick walls, blast down doors and hold guns to the heads of sleeping residents inside.
The US military says videos seized from suspected al-Qaida hide-outs show militants training children as young as 10 to kidnap and kill. It's a sign the terror network - hungry for recruits - may be using younger Iraqis in propaganda to lure the next generation of holy warriors.
Video tape shown to reporters Wednesday depicted an apparent training session with black-masked boys - ammunition belts draped across their small chests - forcing a man off his bicycle at gunpoint and marching him off down a muddy lane. An off-camera voice instructs children with assault rifles into firing positions.
At one point, the boys huddle in a circle on an empty cement floor, solemnly pledging allegiance to al-Qaida.