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The terrorist so-called "IS" are recruiting children as young as 10 years old to fight for a so-called "Islamic state" in Iraq and Syria. According to the information, there are many more who are being forced to fight for the "IS".

10-year old Abdullah is the youngest known boy fighting with the "IS" in Iraq's Mosul, according to The Daily Beast. It describes the moment of Abdullah casually walking into a local grocery store. This would be a common picture, except that the boy was masked and had a heavy machine gun, "about as big as him."

In Mosul, which the group overran two weeks ago, the group is believed to have 4,000 troops and is desperate for more foot soldiers, the Daily Beast reported.
As soon as the "IS" took over the city, extremists started looking for young men aged between 10 and 30 "both to control the territories they have and to join the fight on other fronts within Iraq."

While the 10-year old Abdullah voluntarily joined "IS", following in his father's and brother's footsteps, there are boys who are taken away from their families and forced to be in the group.
In neighboring Syria, a 14-year-old from Raqqa was lured into one of the "IS" camps, The Syria Deeply reported.

Mohammed was convinced the camp, specially designed for boys 15 and younger, had been established to teach "Quran".
""IS" said this was the purpose of the camp," the teenager told The Syria Deeply.
However, it turned out to be more than just that.

"The training was divided into two parts. In religious classes, they taught us their the extremist methods they follow, and the necessary foundations of creating a so-called "Islamic caliphate" state - their ultimate goal. They also try to convince us of "jihadist" ideology," Mohammed said.
The camp's "curriculum" also included combat training and lessons on how to use arms. The "course" lasted for 25 days.
Abdullah and Mohammed are, obviously, far from the only children in the "IS" ranks.

Last week footage appeared online showing young boys holding what appeared to be assault rifles and sitting in trucks full of militants parading through captured Mosul, ITV reported.

There are cases of children being kidnapped and "brainwashed" by "IS". Abducted in May in the city of Aleppo, Syria, the fate of 133 of 159 teenagers remain uncertain.

Two of the boys who escaped told the media that "IS" was forcing the children to undergo lessons in "Sharia and jihadist ideology". Extremists beat children who misbehaved.
In its report published on June 24, the Human Rights Watch said that in Syria, "IS" specifically recruited children through free schooling campaigns that included weapons training, and have given them dangerous tasks, including suicide bombing missions.

In its annual report issued mid-May, the UN also said that "children fighting with IS [in Syria] are reportedly paid like adults [35,000 Syrian pounds, approximately $200] and undergo both weapons and religious indoctrination training."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team