Child Soldier Executes Russians in New Islamic State Video

NEW DELHI: In a new video by the Islamic State, two men -- described as Russian spies -- confess to attempting to assassinate the group’s leaders and infiltrate its networks. A young boy then comes into view and calmly shoots the men in the back of the head with a handgun.

The first alleged spy is identified as Jambulat Mamayev -- from Kazakhstan. Mamayev says that he was sent to gather information on the militant group by getting close to a high-ranking member. The second man is Sergey Ashimov, says he used to work for the Russian Federal Security Service (the successor to the KGB) and was sent to assassinate an Islamic State leader.

The young long-haired boy appears to be the same boy featured in an Islamic State video released in November last year, in which he identifies himself as “Abdullah” and speaks predominantly in the Kazakh language. In the earlier video, when asked how he sees himself in the future, Abdullah, says, “I will be the one who slaughters you, O kuffar [nonbeliever]. I will be a mujahid, inshallah.” This new video put the declaration to the test.

The video, titled "Uncovering an Enemy Within", was released by SITE Monitoring Service, but it’s authenticity cannot be independently confirmed. However, the Islamic State -- for propaganda purposes -- has been known to use children in its videos and campaign material.

In November, disturbing images appeared online depicting children holding decapitated heads and AK-47s under the title “cubs of the Islamic State,” according to media reports.

It also follows other disturbing images and videos, including “school of Jihad” graduates lined up before a stage, listening to a speaker, whilst a row of adults believed to be their parents look on.

Previously, the UN Human Rights Council found that Isis “has established training camps to recruit children into armed roles under the guise of education”.

“At the camps, the children recruited received weapons training and religious education,” the report reads. “The existence of such camps seems to indicate that ISIS systematically provides weapons training for children. Subsequently, they were deployed in active combat during military operations, including suicide-bombing missions.”

According to an UNHRC report, this recruitment and military use of children under the age of 15 constitutes a “war crime.”

Other rights organisations have also condemned the IS’ recruitment of children. Amnesty International accused the group of “robbing an untold number of young people of their childhood.”