Lion Cubs

The Cubs of the Caliphate (Arabic: اشبال الخلافة‎, romanized: Ashbal al-Khilafah) refers to a programme by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to recruit and train child soldiers between the ages of 10 and 15.[1]

Lion Cubs
اشبال الخلافة
Logo of ISIL
Parent organization
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Overview

According to a report by the magazine Foreign Policy, children as young as six are recruited or kidnapped and sent to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's military and religious training camps, where they practice beheading with dolls and are indoctrinated with the religious views of ISIL. Children are used as human shields on the front lines and to provide blood transfusions for Islamic State soldiers, according to Shelly Whitman of the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. The second installment of a Vice News documentary about ISIL focused on how the group is specifically grooming children for the future. A spokesman told VICE News that those under the age of 15 go to sharia camp to learn about religion, while those older than 16 can go to military training camp. Children are also used for propaganda.[2] According to a UN report, "In mid-August, ISIL entered a cancer hospital in Mosul, forced at least two sick children to hold the ISIL flag and posted the pictures on the internet." Misty Buswell, a Save the Children representative working with refugees in Jordan, said, "It's not an exaggeration to say we could lose a whole generation of children to trauma."[3]

On November 2014, the ISIS released a propaganda video showing children from Kazakhstan being trained with firearms. The video showed the steps of the boys’ training and emphasized the “holy-warrior” image of ISIS by showing the boys recite the verses from the Quran and declaring war against the “unbelievers.”—"I will be the one who slaughters you, O kuffar (non-believer). I will be a mujahid, insha'Allah (God willing.)”.[4] After the video had been released, the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan stated that at least 300 Kazakh citizens have moved to Syria to join the ISIS. Most were from underdeveloped villages and women were included in that number as well.

Sub-units

  • Putera Khilafa (Princes of the Caliphate) – Southeast Asian child soldier unit, active in ISIL's al-Barakah Province by 2016[5][6]

See also

References

  1. Horgan, John; Bloom, Mia (8 July 2015). "This Is How the Islamic State Manufactures Child Militants". VICE News. Vice Media. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  2. Sommerville, Quentin; Dalati, Riam (August 2017). "An education in terror". BBC News Online. BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  3. Brannan, Kate (24 October 2014). "Children of the Caliphate". Foreign Policy Magazine. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  4. Michel, Casey (19 January 2015). "Kazakhstan Responds to Horrifying – and Strange – ISIS Video". The Diplomat. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  5. Remy Mahzam (6 July 2016). "ISIS adds lure of children to regional propaganda campaign". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  6. Benjamin Soloway; Henry Johnson (19 May 2016). "ISIS Is Training Indonesian 'Cubs of the Caliphate' to Kill for the Cause". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
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