Al-Qaeda Trains Boys to Fight

Al-Qaeda is training young Iraqi boys to become gunmen and kidnappers, the US military alleges. The military released a video that shows boys in face masks brandishing grenade launchers and guns and harassing Iraqi citizens, CNN reports. In one scene, a boy wears a suicide vest. "Al-Qaeda wants to poison the next generation of Iraqis," said Rear Adm. Gregory Smith.

"Al-Qaeda often refers to the children as the new generation of the mujahedeen," said Smith. "We've also seen evidence of al-Qaeda entering schools and disseminating propaganda.” The military seized the footage during a raid on the residence of a senior member of al-Qaeda in Iraq. (More al-Qaeda stories.)