ISWAP invests in a future generation of jihad
A recent ISWAP production documents how the group wants to prepare for more years of battle against Nigerian security forces, and uses it's child soldiers to show the viewers its readiness for it.
In a video released on 18 January 2022, titled “Empowerment Generation,” Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) presented its new generation of fighters. A 27 minute-long feature was dedicated to showcasing a day in the life of teenage soldiers taking part in a military camp somewhere in northeastern Nigeria. A slick, high-quality production aims to show a new version of “Cubs of the Caliphate” - a program first seen by Daesh in Iraq and Syria, which was recruiting and training children in their early teens. In this case, we see them being turned into deadly machines soon to be used on the battlefield.
Particular attention needs to be given to the video banner. In fact, ISWAP uses two different banners - a usual one, 1,280 pixels wide, but also an unusual, vertical one (below). It shows three masked teenage militants, the one in the center raising his index finger in a Tawheed sign. In the background, an Arabic map of West Africa can be visible, along with two photos from the training camp, including one in which the teenagers are using their rifles.
The video opens with a verse from the Quran - Surah al-Nur (24:55):
Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will certainly make them successors in the land, as He did with those before them; and will surely establish for them their faith which He has chosen for them; and will indeed change their fear into security—˹provided that˺ they worship Me, associating nothing with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this ˹promise˺, it is they who will be the rebellious.
After that, a 50 second-long introduction (1:07-1:57) is used to summarize what the viewer is about to watch. That primarily included scenes from the training camp, including the training with guns and mock assault on a target, as well as taking prisoners of war. A final shot captures the teenagers pledging allegiance to the leader of Daesh, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. Even those 50 seconds are more than enough to persuade the viewers that those children already possess high militancy skills, something particularly distressing given their young age.
Introduction of the “Cubs” training camp
This “Day in the Life” begins at 3:30 am, as the camp participants are woken up. One of the boys is shown washing his feet, and after that, the group wearing yellow uniforms can be seen during the first prayer of the day, called Fajr. Interestingly, none of the shots in the mosque directly shows their faces. Even when they bow down (Ruku), and the faces can be briefly seen, they are blurred, and the camera quickly pans away from them. It is unknown whether the boys come from families of ISWAP members, were sent from their villages as a sign of a good gesture towards ISWAP, or were kidnapped, brainwashed, and put in the camp to later die in battle.
Afterward, the teenagers can be seen reciting the Quran, and one of them speaks directly to the camera. He explains that they are at the Cubs of the Caliphate Institute, training spiritually and physically, studying Islamic and Arabic sciences, and the biography of the Prophet Muhammad. They are taught how to dismantle and use a weapon, and they will use it to fight disbelief (Kufr) with all their means. Although he does not appear to be older than 12-14 years, he seems to be speaking fluent Arabic - something he might have learned during the training - and fully supports, willingly or not, the cause ISWAP is fighting for.
The next scene, at 7:00 am, shows the boys eating their first meal of the day and cleaning after themselves after they finish it. This shows how disciplined they are and displays how close those uniforms are - the teenagers even wear the same sandals. The author was unable to find the exact model of those sandals, but this confirms that ISWAP’s supply networks are also fully capable and working.
School of Jihad
At 8:00 am, school starts, with Shari’a, ‘Aqidah, and Arabic lessons one after another. For Shari’a lessons, the students give their papers to a masked teacher. He is then shown teaching them ‘Aqidah. The teacher asked the boys a question during this lesson, but the answer was undoubtedly a voice-over, recorded later. This is likely due to an original answer not being recorded clearly enough to be used in the video’s final version. Finally, although his face was blurred in post-production, an unmasked individual leads the Arabic language lesson. Interestingly, an Islamic Hijri date can be seen on the blackboard during this lesson (see the image below). 10 Muharram 1443 was 18 August 2021 in Gregorian calendar. It means that it took ISWAP precisely five months from recording most, if not all, parts of the video to a final release by Daesh’s Central Media Diwan.
The man then begins his speech to the camera. He claims that “years ago,” a program was put in place by ISWAPto educate and bring up children through Islamic education and training camps. Those selected by the “Department of Education”, have been receiving lessons in various subjects. He also proclaims that those who attend the program (meaning, the “Cubs of the Caliphate”), will uproot the polytheism planted by the criminal tyrants (Tawaghit) in the future.
At 1:00 pm, the boys have another meal, what appears to be chicken and rice. After this very brief scene, another one shows the boys in a media room, in which they are watching one of the Islamic State’s video productions. Specifically, this was a video called “INSIDE #7”, published by al-Hayat Media Foundation in February 2018. Although the boys are recorded with their backs towards the video, they are clearly watching it with interest, many of them pointing at the TV screen.
Then, another masked man describes the daily activities of the camp, some of which were shown in the previous parts of the video. Boys are woken up before dawn, after which they prepare for the Fajr prayer, then they recite the Sunrise prayers and the Quran for about two hours. Following the recitations, they break the fast, train for an hour, and after training, they start school, which ends at noon. After lunch and the Zuhr prayer, they have some free time (roughly around three and a half hours), ending with Asr prayer. They attend the military training for a couple of hours and prepare for the Maghrib prayer. Later, they recite the Quran again, and after the final prayer of the day (Isha), they go to bed.
The training camp
The camera then shows the boys during the “martial arts” training (11:00 am). It includes some highly interesting shots, some of which were recorded by a drone. 24 teenagers in six rows are doing various exercises, including push-ups and crunches. They then use some different exercise apparatus but also crawl in a tunnel made of barbed wire or use a climbing net. This training is definitely more suited to adults and not to children perhaps as young as ten. On the other hand, it shows that ISWAP believes they should be treated almost equally to adults.
The second part of the training involves learning how to use a weapon. It does not show the boys shooting their rifles (all of which are different AK variants) and is instead a highly choreographed show. A final scene shows boys jumping over fire; one exclaims in Arabic (with subtitles in Hausa used at the bottom of the screen). In his view, there is no way to free “Muslim prisoners,” capture the Holy Mosque (meaning Mecca) and seize Rome and Andalus (lands of Iberian Peninsula, ruled by Islamic rulers from eighth to the fifteenth century), except through Jihad. Another adult speaker then says this new generation has been brought up with “a love for martyrdom” and killing in the way of Allah Almighty.
Teenage murderers
The next part turns dark very quickly. Six armed boys participate in a mock attack on a deserted and destroyed building. In one of the rooms, they find a man in the Nigerian Army uniform and take him as a prisoner of war. Seconds later, a short audio recording is played, in which the man gives his name (which, along with his face, will not be shown in this article out of respect for him and his family) and says ISWAP captured him during one of its attacks near the town of Monguno. A photo of his, taken when he was originally captured, is the same one that was published by the group back in March 2021.
A dark part then turns even darker. The captured soldier kneels in front of a child holding an AK rifle. The boy, who, based on his height and prepubescent voice, cannot be older than 11-12 years, begins a rant in Arabic (again, subtitles in Hausa are also available). He says that the Nigerian Army killed his father and brother; therefore, he is the one to seek revenge for their death, in a horrible, sick, and twisted interpretation of “eye for an eye.” The boy then raises his rifle and shoots his captive dead with cold blood, adding another bullet to make sure he is dead. Two people can be seen in the background - it is unknown whether they were there by accident, but based on their clothes, the same as the young executioner, they are most certainly other “Cubs.”
In the same way as the first group, the second one, albeit larger, “captures” another POW, who says he lived in Maiduguri, belonged to a local militia, and was captured by ISWAP in Mairari (west of Monguno). The only attack that fits this description took place in July 2021. The boys also “capture” a third man, who says he was captured in the attack in Kanamma (Yobe State) in April 2021. ISWAP also used a photo from the actual moment of his capture, released through the Islamic State media. The next shot shows the soldier kneeling in front of three teenagers. One. One of them begins his speech, talking about how they will live to support the religion and build the Caliphate, and after they die, others will use their death to build the Caliphate project further. The soldier is then killed, and in a very graphic display, the blood streaming from his head is shown spilling into the ground. The militia member did not receive the same treatment - he was brought onto the execution site (with buildings and a small, unknown body of water in the background) and then murdered.
The next generation of fighters
Another armed man (shown above) addresses the “enemies of Allah.” He says they should not think the blood of the dead Mujahideen (in this case, IS fighters) has been wasted, and the “Cubs of the Caliphate” are another generation of fighters. This militant makes a direct connection to the Quran verse used in the beginning. It seems likely that the verse, combined with several references to the killed fighters, serves as a confirmation of the deaths of many high-rank people in ISWAP’s ranks, but it cannot be fully confirmed. It also gives the role that “Cubs” are to fulfill - the next generation, which will continue the Jihad after their fathers die in battle.
In a brief montage, boys collectively recite parts of Jami’ al-Tirmidhi (Hadith 2863):
And I command you with five that Allah commanded me: Listening and obeying, Jihad, Hijrah, and the Jama'ah.
Afterward, they pledge allegiance (bay’ah) to Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi.
Usually, a scene like this ends the video, but in this case, ISWAP wants to say more. Two militants turn to the camera, and one of them says that after they finished the training camp, they will apply what they had learned in the field of Jihad, and they will continue to fight “the infidels” until they are granted martyrdom (Shahada). In the final seconds, they fire a 107 mm rocket towards an unknown target.
Conclusions
This slick, high-quality release will make many people sick to their stomachs. Children, sometimes as young as ten (if not younger), participate in a propaganda spectacle directed by adults. They are brainwashed to think that people of other religions, and even Muslims who fight against ISWAP, are their enemy and should be murdered. The quality of production shows how different “West Africa Province” is from other affiliates of the so-called Islamic State. While others are barely able to launch new attacks (like Libya), ISWAP can dedicate full 27 minutes to a project not seen in the IS/Daesh sphere for years. It is not even the first time ISWAP is showing its strength. For example, when in 2021 IS affiliates worldwide were publishing photos from their Eid al-Adha celebrations, and some of them only showed less than a dozen militants and had to cover their faces and surroundings, ISWAP published a full video, showing Eid prayers in at least four different locations and hundreds of fighters. In Lake Chad, the group is also able to conduct Da’wah activities in some villages, collect taxes, and distribute help to those in need.
“Empowerment Generation” is full of tiny details, some of which take multiple viewings to spot. From the uniforms, the actual date of the classes accidentally shown on the blackboard, down to the executions of captives (even displaying the photos from their original capture by ISWAP), this is perhaps the most intriguing production of the Islamic State since the territorial Caliphate fell in 2019.