Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Iraq's insurgent children learn how to become killers

BAGHDAD (The Scotsman) -- SITTING cross-legged on the mosque floor, the 12-year-old boys listen avidly as the tough-looking man in front of them holds up a rocket-propelled grenade.

"Be careful of the Americans, but don’t fear their vehicles and technology," he says, turning the diamond-shaped warhead before a dozen pairs of widening eyes. "You see this small bomb? It can destroy any US Army Humvee and all the soldiers inside."

Placing the missile back in a wooden box beside him, the teacher then passes a wrapped lump of plastic explosive around the class, sparking a flurry of grasping hands. "Come on! It’s my turn," hisses one impatient young boy at his neighbour.

So begins lesson one of jihad for juniors, the newest recruits to Iraq’s insurgency. After nearly two years of struggle which has decimated their adult ranks, resistance commanders are grooming a fresh generation of child soldiers to carry on the fight.

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