One of the most disturbing stories in the war logs is the callous use of children as suicide bombers by al Qaeda in Iraq. The files detail how insurgents recruited children who, as innocents, could gain greater access to targets. But these innocents were killed.
The recruitment of children into the insurgency
There are numerous references in the war logs to the use of children by insurgent groups. The youngest mentioned is just 10 years old, and they are used as spotters, to plant IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) or even fire rockets. The children, more often than not, died.
Related article: Down’s syndrome patients used as suicide bombers
The first recorded attack by a child suicide bomber occurred on March 21 2007 in Haditha. A 12- to 14-year-old boy detonated explosives in his backpack, killing only himself. His school ID showed he had been brought in from another area to carry out the attack in what was clearly a well-planned operation:
March 21 2007
IP [Iraqi Police] noticed (1) red opal … IP trucks pursued the vehicle, and as the (3) IP vehicles approached the intersection … a 12-14 year old boy wearing a back pack and on a bicycle rode into the intersection. The patrol passed through the intersection and the boy detonated his explosives.
There are numerous other incidents. A 12- to 14-year-old boy in 2007 rode his bicycle into the middle of a police patrol. He was wearing a backpack filled with explosives; he killed himself and six other people. An 11-year-old was used as a suicide bomber in Fallujah in early 2008. And later in the same year, there is the report of a 15-year-old who blew himself up outside a mosque and killed eight worshippers.
Iraqi Child - Zoriah/Flickr
Specialist terrorism cells for children
Some insurgent groups set up special cells specifically to train children, their innocuous names belied their real purpose.
October 4 2008
“The two individuals detained have been reported as members of an organization known as “Love in Heaven” or ”Birds of Paradise.” (The name “Birds of Paradise” was derived from an old Muslim belief that when young children die they become winged creatures who sing for martyrs in paradise) This group recruits youth between the ages of 12-16 in the city to conduct SAF [Small Arms Fire], Grenade and IED attacks on CF [Coalition Forces] in Samarra.
Insurgents preyed particularly on vulnerable areas. In 2008 in Salah al-Din province, for example, operatives visited families who had lost the man of the house.
November 27 2008
Reporting has indicated this area of Samarra as an AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] recruiting area. The neighbourhood was built by Saddam for families who have lost the male of the house during the gulf war. AQI targets teenagers and younger children for recruiting in this area. It is likely that guard may have been attempting to recruit through the school.
Children were also coerced with the offer of money or presents.
November 15 2008
The reporting also states that JAM [Jaish al-Mahdi] and BADR are paying teenagers 500 USD to emplace the stick bombs because teenagers do not raise suspicion.
Sometimes the children were tricked. In one instance, in January 2008, a boy was paid to deliver an electric heater to a designated location. The heater exploded when he set it down.
Children more useful than adults
Children were very useful to insurgents. They were able to get closer because nobody suspected them. In one case, a boy stalked his target for three days, posing as a flower seller.
And crucially, coalition forces would not shoot at children.
In August 2009 in Baghdad, for example, a convoy was hit by a hand grenade that failed to explode. The troops did not engage, because some of them were concerned that the insurgents responsible were two young boys.
October 25th, 2010at 7:31 am(#)
They have children doing there dirty work and they really have the nerve to say they’re acting on the side of God. They also used children as suicide bombers without there knowledge this obviously an undeniable act of evil.