Thousands of former child soldiers may be among the millions of migrants flowing into Europe, posing a major challenge both for the asylum systems and mental health services. In 2009, the number of child soldiers in Germany was estimated by a
Peter Salama, regional director of UNICEF in the Middle East, is reporting Syrian children continue to be forced to fight in the nation’s civil war, dying in classrooms.
CNN describes a 12-year-old boy nicknamed “Nasir” as “one of the lucky ones,” because he managed to escape from the Islamic State’s suicide bomber program. He says some of his fellow trainees were as young as 5 years old.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a report accusing Shiite militias in Iraq of using child soldiers to fight against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL). The terrorist group is widely known for also using this practice.
The latest in a string of ISIS videos to feature child soldiers features a boy, about ten years of age, brandishing a rocket-propelled grenade and threatening to behead President Obama unless the United States submits to the Islamic State.
Nigeria suffered the latest in a string of Boko Haram-affiliated suicide bombings on Tuesday, as a 12-year-old girl detonated herself in the middle of a market in northern Yobe state, killing ten and injuring dozens.
The Chadian military has rescued 43 children from the Nigerian town of Damasak who had been abducted and prepared to serve as child soldiers for the jihadist Boko Haram terror group. The Nigerian military is currently embroiled in a struggle in the Sambisa forest, the last known stronghold of the terror group in the nation.
To combat Boko Haram, village militias in northern Nigeria have been employing kids in the fight against the insurgents.
The Islamic State has released a new video advertising its “Farouk Institute for Cubs,” a new training camp designed to teach young boys the basics of both radical Islam and warfare. Unlike many of its videos depicting child soldiers, this video shows dozens of child soldiers in combat uniforms and handling weapons.
