The Islamic terror group ISIS has started to now recruit children to add to their ranks. As horrifying as this sounds, it’s true. ISIS is posting horrifying videos, of children they have recruited, shooting weapons, training and  murdering others who rebel against them. ISIS is brainwashing these kids to believe in the ideology of ISIS. Most children that do mange to escape to freedom say it’s like “hell” being there. To get to freedom most kids have to swim over the Orontes river, in the night, undercover, risking their lives. Children are brainwashed, turned into suicide bombers, and are made into soldiers that battle on the front line when walking into battle.

Children that are recruited range in ages 5 to 18. These children follow a very rigorous routine. According to the British website Mirror, they are awakened at 4:30 A.M. for prayer, go back to bed and are awaken again at 8 A.M. for breakfast. At 9 A.M. they are taught  lessons in the Quran and ISIS’ so-called Islamic doctrine. At 12 P.M. they have lunch and from 1 to 5 P.M. they have training including military, and physical drills.

These routines have been confirmed by kids that were able to get to freedom like Raghib Al-Yas Ahmed, age 14, said “They taught us how to slit throats and how to blow ourselves up. We put our hand on their forehead, lift the head up and put the knife on the neck and slaughter (them). 10-year-old Hamada Shihab Ahmed added that “Military training included how to use the machine gun and undisciplined children were punished by leaving them under the sun or lashing them with a hose. ”

This article from CNN further explains what ISIS is trying to do.

“ISIS is integrating children into its project in a way that is more reminiscent of a state than a non-state actor. It’s thinking with the long term in mind. It’s not just bringing children into its ranks and using them immediately on the battlefield. What it’s doing is bringing them in, indoctrinating them, training them, spending a lot of time instilling them with jihadist ideology.” ISIS wants to make sure that they really put their ideology into the minds of these kids to create the next generation of jihadists. ISIS calls these kids the “cubs of the caliphate”.

While there are kids who voluntarily join following in their father’s and brother’s footsteps, there are boys who are taken away from their families and forced to be in the group. ISIS uses propaganda videos, cash, toys, and other means at their disposal to lure children from their families. Their emphasis on youth makes eradicating ISIS much more imperative as children who grow up under their influence may not be able to be reasoned out of an ISIS mode of thinking.