A new chapter has been opened by Al Qaeda in Iraq; which is to use children to further its aims. The US military released video footage of a tape it claims it stumbled across during a raid last December. The tape showed children as young as 10, wearing trademark masks receiving training. Though there is no certainty of the authenticity of the tape, one tends to believe in the US military. Some cynics might argue that all this is the handiwork of the dirty-tricks department of the CIA, but one would not go so far as to agree with it.
The use of children by Al Qaeda is disturbing news. It is doing so for the same reason as they are using women suicide bombers. To increase troubles for Iraqi and US security forces, as women and children are largely ignored during security checks.
Training children serves another purpose. When Laden’s brand of radical Islam is drilled into young minds at an early age, one gets a ready supply of brainwashed, unquestioning suicide bombers in the future. In effect, Al Qaeda is poisoning the minds of the next generation Iraqis. If this happens on a large scale, it would be disastrous for the future of the country.
Al Qaeda has repeatedly shown that it follows no laws of ethics. It has used women as female bombers, though Islam forbids use of women in fighting. It also shows the desperation of the outfit. But such tactics will only alienate it further from the ordinary people of Iraq.
Source: Daily Mail
