A sign of things to come in Iraq

Nothing is more indicative of the depravity to which Al Qaida has sunk than its video release of children participating in an armed training session. Inculcating young minds with bigoted and warped information ensures they become indoctrinated for life. To propagandize when young frequently ensures the child grows into a more dangerous member of society as an adult. Knowing this, Al Qaida has inducted children 11 years and under into "training camps" with the deliberate intention of making them terrorists of the future at least, if not the present.

Using children to fight the battles of adults is not new, and even today it can be seen in other countries. But the video of presumed Iraqi children wielding arms and armaments during training exercises demonstrates too well the failure of either the Iraqi government or its western allies to get their message across to the next generation of Iraqis.