MOSCOW, January 26 (Sputnik) - A media group connected with Boko Haram, al Urwa al Wuthaqa, has published two photos, depicting children, training in a military camp in northeastern Nigeria.
The pictures show teenagers, dressed in similar dark clothes and holding weapons. Most of the children are young boys, but some of the ‘combatants’ appear to be small girls.
صور لأشبال الدولة .. جيل الفتح والنصر إن شاء الله (4) pic.twitter.com/qqSxLVuKDX
— مؤسسة العروة الوثقى (@Alurwa_Alwuthqa) 25 января 2015
Boko Haram, a militant Islamist organization, mainly conducts its activities in Nigeria and in neighboring countries, such as Cameroon. Its goal is to destroy the current Nigerian government and to create an Islamic state on the territory of the country. The group is notorious for kidnapping hundreds of women and girls and of using children as soldiers in military operations.
Children are often used by various rebel groups as combatants as they represent a vulnerable social group, which can be easily convinced and manipulated. They are usually sent to training camps where they undergo hard physical training and religious indoctrination.
صور لأشبال الدولة .. جيل الفتح والنصر (3) pic.twitter.com/qCE27kVQ4F
— مؤسسة العروة الوثقى (@Alurwa_Alwuthqa) 25 января 2015