Iraqi Security Forces Arrests Al Qaeda-Sponsored 'Birds of Paradise' Members, Suicide Bomber Children Under 14 Yrs Old

Al Qaeda in Iraq, what's left of them, continue to resort to anything to keep their violence alive and in the latest example of pulling out the last straw, a group of children recruited to be suicide bombers, most under the age of 14 years old have been arrested by Iraqi security forces in the city of Kirkuk. Here are some of the details from the article at Yahoo News:

Iraqi security forces have arrested four children who were recruited by Al-Qaeda to carry out suicide attacks in and around the northern city of Kirkuk, an army general told AFP on Sunday.
"Special forces units have arrested an organisation of children consisting of four individuals under the age of 14 who call themselves the 'Birds of Paradise'," General Abdelamir al-Zaidi said.
"The group relies on children and is connected to Al-Qaeda. It works to recruit children and young people to carry out suicide attacks and to aid the terrorist groups in detonating roadside bombs," he said.
The name of the group likely comes from the traditional Islamic belief that when children die they become birds in paradise.

Regarding the desperation of al Qaeda in Iraq, one of the Iraqi security people puts it this way:

"This is a new method and it is the method of someone who is losing the war," the officer said on condition of anonymity.
"Their infrastructure is being destroyed and their leaders are being arrested and killed... They are sending a message that 'we are still here, but we have to rely on every method to carry out our terrorist operations.'"

We've seen how al Qaeda in Iraq, in the latter days of the Iraq War, resorted to recruiting women to perform suicide bombing missions and now they are digging even deeper into the bottom of the barrel with coercing these young children for the same missions. Now, we've seen the Taliban use this "tactic" to some extent over in Afghanistan but this 'Birds of Paradise' is a bit different in that it is an organized group of children operating as a terror cell - hopefully, the Iraqis will find the organizers of this atrocity (I've got some suggestions for what to do with them).

Iraq arrests children recruited by Al-Qaeda


KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) – Iraqi security forces have arrested four children who were recruited by Al-Qaeda to carry out suicide attacks in and around the northern city of Kirkuk, an army general told AFP on Sunday.
"Special forces units have arrested an organisation of children consisting of four individuals under the age of 14 who call themselves the 'Birds of Paradise'," General Abdelamir al-Zaidi said.
"The group relies on children and is connected to Al-Qaeda. It works to recruit children and young people to carry out suicide attacks and to aid the terrorist groups in detonating roadside bombs," he said.
The name of the group likely comes from the traditional Islamic belief that when children die they become birds in paradise.
The children were arrested west of Kirkuk, the main oil hub in northern Iraq that is the subject of a long-standing dispute between Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish region and has seen several recent attacks.
Zaidi said security forces are still investigating the group and have arrested other suspects, but he declined to give further details because of the secrecy of the operation.
Another Iraqi officer said the existence of the children's unit proves Al-Qaeda is losing ground.
"This is a new method and it is the method of someone who is losing the war," the officer said on condition of anonymity.
"Their infrastructure is being destroyed and their leaders are being arrested and killed... They are sending a message that 'we are still here, but we have to rely on every method to carry out our terrorist operations.'"
US and Iraqi forces launched a major operation in and around Kirkuk last week after a car bomb exploded next to a bus carrying police through the city, killing ten policemen and wounding more than 20.