This video shows just how depraved al-Qaeda in Iraq really is. It is training six-year-olds for jihad.
Just a few days ago, the group tricked two mentally-challenged Iraqi women into carrying out a suicide bombing. And it wasn't the first time. There's actually been several instances in recent years where al-Qaeda in Iraq has used children and the mentally-challenged in attacks.
This also shows a bit of desperation on al-Qaeda's part. U.S. troops under General David Petraeus have killed or captured most of the group's leaders in Iraq. And the Sunni tribes there have turned against al-Qaeda as well. So al-Qaeda may not have many places left to recruit other than among young children.
The same is true on the Shia side, where the Al-Mahdi army of Muqtada al-Sadr is now mostly made up of teenage street thugs after the elimination of several of its top leaders and foot soldiers.
Young suicide bombers are not limited to Iraq. We've seen children used in attacks and taking part in terrorist training camps in several other Muslim countries--including Iran, the Palestinian territories and the tribal regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. A Taliban tape released last spring showed dozens of teenagers and children preparing to carry out suicide attacks against the West.