London: 10 Year Olds ‘Trained to be Junior Jihadists’ And World Community’s Response to ISIS
The London Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Stephen Greenhalgh, has reportedly said that children as young as ten are being "trained to be junior jihadists" in the city. The statement comes at a time when the international community prepares to wage a war against ISIS, a terrorist organization controlling parts of Iraq and Syria.
Mr. Greenhalgh reportedly said that the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has also been briefed on the subject. According to a report by EveningStandard, the Deputy Mayor has said that young children were exposed to "extremist ideology" by their families.
The statement gains significance in light of the recent ISIS execution video which may have been carried out by a British man. The execution video of David Haines shows the masked executioner to be a tall man that many believe has a London accent.
Prime Minister David Cameron has responded to the execution video of the British citizen by promising to "hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice." The Prime Minister expressed deep sympathy to the family of David Haines. He also said that members of ISIS are not Muslims, even though they claim to be killing in the name of Islam. He said that Islam is a religion of peace.
The U.K will be supplying heavy machine guns and about 500,000 rounds of ammunition to the Iraqi forces that are currently engaged in fighting ISIS. The forces have already been provided with body armour and other protective equipment.
The Defence Secretary of U.K, Michael Fallon, recently had an informal meeting with EU defence ministers. The ministers talked about the recent developments in Iraq and Ukraine. The talks focused on working out a policy framework for long term defence co-operation.
The Secretary of State of the US, John Kerry, is currently on a trip to the Middle-east to build a coalition of nations from the Arab world to combat the rising threat of ISIS. Speaking at a joint press conference in Egypt, Secretary Kerry expressed his gratitude towards Egypt and the Arab League for supporting the coalition the U.S is trying to build.