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On August 30, 2024, a Syrian opposition-affiliated website reported that during late August the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) began to recruit dozens of minors in the city of Deir Al-Zour and the surrounding countryside.[1]
According to the Naher Media report, the IRGC offers the minors miniscule salaries in exchange for fighting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) beyond the Euphrates River, while the aim of the recruitment campaign is to ensure “the absolute loyalty” of the children to the IRGC commander, and to instill in them the organization’s ideology. The website quoted the father of a 16-year-old boy who said that his son was recruited by the IRGC-affiliated Usoud Al-'Uqaydat [Lions of the 'Uqaydat tribe] militia, headed by Hashem Mas'oud Al-Satam, against his family's wishes, after being persuaded to fight the SDF.
The website added that Iran is exploiting the economic distress of the residents of the region to recruit their children to the ranks of its militia.
It is notable that in recent years there have been several reports from Syrian opposition sources claiming that Iran-backed militias in Syria and Lebanon attempt to create affinity for Shia culture among children, so as to later recruit them to their ranks;[2] use children as “human shields” in the event of aerial attacks on their forces,[3] and use the framework of their Scouts organizations in Syria and in Lebanon to provide Shia religious and sectarian indoctrination to the children who participate in their activities.[4]
[1] August 30, 2024.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Syrian Opposition Outlets: Iran-Backed Militias In Syria Attempt To Create Affinity Among Children For Shia Culture, So As To Later Recruit Them To Their Ranks, July 26, 2023.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Syrian Opposition Website: Iran-Backed Militias Use Children As Human Shields, November 15, 2022.
[4] See MEMRI JTTM Reports: Syrian Opposition Websites: Hizbullah Recruited Children Younger Than 15 In Syria, November 8, 2022; and Anti-Hizbullah Websites: Iran- And Hizbullah-Backed Scout Organizations Are A Breeding Ground For Potential Jihadi Operatives; Hizbullah Supporters Laud Former Scouts Who Join Militias, August 21, 2022.
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