MOSCOW, September 16 (RIA Novosti) - A video that has been translated and presented by the Middle East Media Research Institute purports to show Bosnian children at an Islamic State (IS) ‘summer camp’ in Syria from earlier this summer, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The video features a group of boys, all of whom are under ten years old, holding IS flags, as well as what appear to be real guns, and chanting slogans in support of self-styled Caliph Abu Bakr “al-Baghdadi and his lions”. They tell “the Crusaders of America” that their “grave will be in Syria, our state will be victorious.”
It is part of a large online campaign by IS supporters to gain support for the radical jihadi organization and recruit new members. However, it is just one type of online advertising for the organization; other, more brutal forms include videos of beheadings, executions, and other crimes.
Hundreds of Bosnians are suspected of having left their country to fight in Syria and Iraq. The state has recently introduced a prison sentence of up to 10 years for citizens found guilty of fighting or recruiting for conflicts abroad.
Earlier this month, Bosnian police arrested 16 people suspected of recruiting for, financing and fighting for the IS, including the radical Salafi movement leader Bilal Bosnic.
About 45 percent of the population of Bosnia is Muslim; however, the vast majority of them practice a moderate form of the religion.
