Yesterday, Islamic State (IS) posted online pictures of a boy sitting in a pick-up truck filled with barrels of explosives, clutching a grenade and wearing an explosive vest. The boy has been identified as Abu al-Hassan al-Shami and is thought to be no more than 12 years old according to The Times, though others report that he is 14.
Meet Islamic State's youngest suicide bomber: 14-year-old Abul Hassan Al-Shami [from #Syria] pic.twitter.com/xz2AxcwWIj
— Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) January 12, 2015 " data-caption="Tweet from Jerusalem-based journalist Khaled Abu Toameh" data-credit="null">The bombing was carried out in the Iraqi province of Salahuddin. The boy is believed to be one of two Syrian fighters to carry out truck bombings in the area. The final photo in the series, which is entitled 'Battle of Vengeance for the Mother of Believers (Aisha)', shows a huge explosion.
The photos have been released amid a surge of other IS propaganda promoting child soldiers.
"ISIS does seem to be making their child soldier training a bit more prominent," Charlie Winter, a researcher at the Quilliam Foundation think-tank, told The Times. "They are holding children's training camps and running indoctrination centres, and they're publicising it because they know it shocks the world.
"This is part of the group's very calculated media strategy."
The young boy's actions have been praised by IS supporters on Twitter. One tweeted: "His youth didn't prevent him from supporting his religion."
