Arab TV network airs Iraqi children trained as terrorists

Baghdad: Arab television Al Arabiya on Wednesday aired a purported videotape by Al Qaida showing Iraqi children being trained for terrorist acts in Diyalah.

The Iraq children, wearing black outfits and aged between 10 and 12, are shown brandishing rifles and stopping a man on a bicycle in mock acts of abduction and robbery.

Another scene on the video shows children stopping a car and carrying out an act of kidnapping while shouting at passengers.

Al Arabiya said the weapons and rockets used in the training were real.

Diyala, east of Baghdad, is a haven for Sunni extremist insurgency and groups with links to Al Qaida.

The province has been the scene of a huge military operations carried out by coalition troops to uproot insurgents.