The 'Caliphate Cubs' of IS

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — Children have lost their innocence under the rule of the Islamic State (IS). They have become machines of massive destruction that are being calculatedly and calmly gathered to produce a harsher and more extreme army of the future generation. They are also a challenge to the future fight against extremism.

Samir Abdul Aziz (a pseudonym) is a former lawyer who lost his job following IS' closure of many of the law schools in Mosul. In a phone interview with Al-Monitor, Abdul Aziz said it was difficult for him to determine the exact number of children fighting under the IS banner. However, based on information he gathered from people close to the group, he said that IS has been training child soldiers in special camps in Mosul.

“IS uses certain names to label [children's] camps, which gives the impression that they are some sort of private religious schools. The organization also calls the children fighters 'The Caliphate Cubs.' Children undergo three different levels of training in these schools. The first is religious training, whereby children are taught IS jihadi ideology and approach. Children are brainwashed into becoming hateful and ready to commit suicide. The second level is practical, as children receive harsh physical training, and are taught to use weapons. The third level is psychological: Children are taken to public squares to participate in slaughters, or are placed at the forefront of the Hisbah [religious police] sessions, or in the mosques’ sermons so as to promote their leadership skills and their sense of superiority,” Abdul Aziz said.

According to Abdul Aziz, the children's training camps are to be found in remote areas, away from the cities. IS is moving children's camps from Mosul to Raqqa and is bringing children from Raqqa, Anbar, Diyala and Kirkuk to be trained in Mosul, to isolate and distance the children as much as possible from their social environment.