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ISIS deploys child soldiers to keep Christians from returning to Mosul

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'We are dealing with a new generation bred by ISIS...'

Now that Mosul, Iraq is mostly cleared of ISIS' presence, many Christians are attempting to return to their homes.

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Cubs of the Caliphate are being used to guard Mosul from Christians attempting to return home.

Cubs of the Caliphate are being used to guard Mosul from Christians attempting to return home.

Highlights

By Kenya Sinclair (CALIFORNIA NETWORK)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
3/22/2017 (7 years ago)

Published in Middle East

Keywords: ISIS, child soldiers, Christians, Mosul

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The terror group has taught newer generations that Christians are infidels who should be killed.

A vicar in Iraq told the Express that ISIS forces are so desperate from defeat after defeat, that children as young as six-years-old are being sent to the front lines.


Fr. Daniel explained the terrorist organization's destructive ideology has been forced upon helpless children who are now prepared to conduct suicide attacks and kill all Christians they encounter.

The vicar stated: "We can go back but it is a question of safety. We are dealing with a new generation bred by ISIS - they have a radical anti-Christian viewpoint and so it would be really hard to go back.

"It would be very hard for children here and children in Mosul to get together. Can they even get along together as two groups? Could they adapt to each other? We really need to work with the children in Mosul to change what ISIS has implanted there."

In 2014, over 100,000 Christians were forced to run for their lives, abandoning their homes in Mosul.

Today, with much of Mosul cleared of terrorists and their hidden traps and weapon cashes, many Christians are attempting to return home.

Unfortunately, instead of being met with open arms, the Christians are facing Cubs of the Caliphate.

A family trying to escape fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIS fighters cry on a street in Mosul, Iraq.

A family trying to escape fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIS fighters cry on a street in Mosul, Iraq (Reuters).


Christian Today reported the Islamic State has set up a barrier of child soldiers, presumably to wipe out incoming Christians.

In the face of ongoing threats, Fr. Daniel believes the difficulties incoming Christians are met with might be just the beginning.

"Before it was difficult for Christians because after Saddam was taken out from authority everything went from bad to worse and Christians were persecuted by extremists after 2003," he explained.

"Christians in Mosul were targets for terrorists so life was really bad then. ISIS came and they purged Christians from Mosul so many fled to places like Erbil. The Christians that stayed in Mosul under ISIS control - were beaten, punished and killed.

"Christians were given three options, pay a heavy tax, leave the city or face public execution. Christians were really worried about being targeted long before ISIS.

"They were under surveillance but when ISIS came it got much worse. ISIS wanted all the Christians gone. I was in Erbil when ISIS rose up. The church was not prepared for the number of fleeing people they had to receive, people who were forced [to] leave their homes but they rallied round and the church buildings provided shelter so people stayed on the floor of churches.


"Gradually the church provided tents, cabins and now rents houses for people. It's very important for people to have dignity and to live in a place that allows them to continue a decent life.

"The church was helping them and guiding, sometimes comforting - they had lost everything and were really traumatized so we comforted them and helped them and guided them so we worked with their trauma to heal them and bring families together and bring unity to help them move forward."

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