This boyish orator was followed by another who was clearly trying to emulate the IS group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – he was wearing a watch on his right wrist like the group's leader, apparently severely injured recently.This boy sang songs about holy war, bombs, murder and executions.
Both of the boys were surrounded by other young men and boys, many of whom appeared to stare at him in admiration.
“The children in this video are sons of members of the IS group,” al-Zubaidi says. “They were trained to perform these roles specifically to influence other teenagers in Mosul. Many of the boys who joined the IS group did so because they were influenced by friends or by older relatives who were already members. They like the idea of the privileges that IS members have – they get to carry guns publicly, they drive big cars and they are well paid. In comparison to the falling standard of living in Mosul, they see the IS members as living a luxurious lifestyle.”
And of course there are other reasons too. Haj Ahmad, a 16-year-old in Mosul, ran away from home after a fight from his father. After searching for him for two days, the family discovered that the teenager had gone to the Abu Musab al-Zarqawi camp on the outskirts of the city. The family managed to bring their son back home where they are trying to convince him not to return to the camp. It seems he won't though because apparently he says the training is very tough and wasn't what the boy expected. And because one of their neighbours is a senior member of the IS group the family were also able to get Ahmad's name removed from the camps records of enrolment.
*All names in this story are pseudonyms. None of the individuals could be identified because they remain in Mosul and could be targeted by extremists for speaking to the media.
Comments are closed.