Children being used by al-Qaeda in Iraq

U.S. raids of al-Qaeda in Iraq hideouts uncovered videotapes depicting the training of children, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The videotapes include scenes of mock kidnapping, house raids, and suicide bombing, and featured children appearing as young as 10. The American military discovered the tapes back in December and said that al-Qaeda has begun to use more and more children to implement acts of terror.

“Al-Qaeda in Iraq wants to poison the next generation of Iraqis,” said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a U.S. military spokesman. “It is offering children as the new generation of mujahedeen…We believe this video is used as propaganda to send out to recruit other boys ... and to send a broader message across Iraq to indoctrinate youth into al-Qaeda.”

Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman, Mohammed al-Askari told reporters that militants are kidnapping more and more Iraqi children. These children are not used strictly for terrorist actions, but also as ransom to keep al-Qaeda operations running. Children are kidnapped and held at ransom to fund Al-Qaeda.

The U.S. military is unaware of the exact number of women and children utilized by al-Qaeda, but the two groups are now at greater risk.

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