Uzbek Group Releases Video Showing Kids Groomed For Jihad

Children as young as four or five years old were shown undergoing military training in a new video released by the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a militant Uzbek group based in Pakistan's tribal area.

The 30-minute tape contains old and new footage showing children between four and 12 years old attending a religious school and undergoing military training, which included general fitness training, boxing, wrestling and weapons training. It also featured a graduation ceremony for two students who were seen awarded a white turban, seemingly a sign that they've become qualified "mujaheddin."

The video is part of a series that the group calls "Badr Attawheed" and is entitled "Madrassas."

The IJU was founded by fighters from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in 2002 in Pakistan's Tribal Areas. In 2005, it got closer to al-Qaeda and began plotting terror attacks in Pakistan. Based in Mirali in South Waziristan, the IJU is known for attracting Western recruits, mainly from Turkey, Turkish communities in Western Europe, but also Muslim converts from Europe.