Islamic State (IS) supporters online have been exchanging a new video that depicts the small child of an alleged jihadi fighter beheading a stuffed animal, according to information published by the SITE Intelligence group.
The video is being hailed by IS’s online supporters as proof that the next generation of jihadis are being trained to continue the terrorist group’s violent march across Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries.
The child, who is alleged to be the son of an IS militant, can be seen wearing black military fatigues and equipment.
Wielding a knife above his head, the child runs over to a stuffed animal that has been placed in front of the black jihadi flag associated with IS.
The child then goes on to saw off the head of a white stuffed bear as a man off camera shouts words of encouragement.
"Takbir," the man shouts, using the Arabic term for the phrase "Allahu Akbar" or "Allah is great."
The video was uploaded to YouTube and Twitter late last week and quickly made the rounds of a growing online community of people who support IS and its extremist jihadi philosophy, according to SITE.
"Some jihadists remarked with glee that the child represents the next generation of fighters, and that the child is what the ‘infidels’ fear," SITE noted in its report on the video.
The 30-second video is the latest example of IS’s campaign to spread its message using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other online venues.
IS (also known as ISIS or ISIL) has put a great emphasis on recruiting children into its military campaign.
These so-called "cubs of the Islamic State" receive military training and have been filmed carrying out violent attacks along with other IS militants.
"Children are central to ISIS," the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which has been tracking IS-affiliated social media accounts that disseminate materials focused on child jihadists, noted in a recent report.
Children "are the future generation of the defenders of the caliphate, and they will continue its legacy," according to MEMRI. "ISIS children receive military training, both in camps conducted by the organization and individually, with ISIS fighters."
Other videos and photos distributed by IS on social media have shown a toddler kicking an "unbeliever’s" severed head down the street.
Camps also have been established to indoctrinate children and teach them the ways of war.
As with young boys, IS also has stepped up its recruitment of women and young girls.
At least 10 percent of those who have travelled from other countries to join IS are female, according to recent studies.
"The desire to form a caliphate comes with practicalities, notably the need for ‘support’ functions, such as increasing the population and establishing communities and home lives that can keep particularly foreign fighters engaged in the region," the London-based Human Security Centre noted in a recent report about the recruitment of females.
"This reality has led to a considerable recruitment push aimed at women and girls in the past months," it states. "Despite some similarities, the method is heavily centered around technology and different from the strategies aimed at Western men," the report stated.
Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon adviser and expert on radical movements, said that the United States and its allies are now facing a multi-generational battle against IS due to its failure to combat the recruitment of children.
"When we talk about defeating ISIS, we've let the problem fester long enough that we're now facing a multi-generational fight since a generation of kids has been brainwashed and radicalized," Rubin said.