Disabled Dutch Child, 4, Becomes Islamic State Mascot

A 4-year-old child from the Netherlands was seen in Islamic State propaganda pictures. And it was his mother who shared the pictures with her former classmates.

Hasna A., the 24-year-old mother, left her country for Syria in March and took her son, Noureddine, with her. The same child is now seen wearing an ISIS hat and camouflage in a number of photos. that Hasna sent the pictures to her schoolmates. She also sent pictures that showed daggers and pistols. She left a message that she was in an ISIS-controlled area and was not coming back home.

Mayor Sander Schelberg of Hasna's hometown, Hengelo, said that this was just what he had feared. He said he was shocked to see the child in the picture.

Hasna’s father Said said his grandson, who has severe behavioral disorders and cannot speak, appears to be being trained to become an ISIS fighter. According to the Dutch paper Telegraaf, the child uses flash cards to communicate.

The grandfather said that his daughter wanted to show via the pictures that she is happy. He communicates with his daughter through Skype.

The child, in training to become a militant, may have strict guidelines to follow. Earlier footage earlier shows a masked ISIS militant beating recruits as punishment for smoking. The man hits some of them on the head with his assault rifle and whips some with a belt. The Mirror reports that ISIS considers smoking “un-Islamic.”

U.S.-led coalition forces suffered a heavy setback over the weekend as ISIS forces overran the Iraqi city of Ramadi. The New York Times reported that a sandstorm prevented U.S. warplanes from launching airstrikes.

ISIS fighters used the time to launch a number of ground attacks as well as car bombings in and around Ramadi. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces were eventually overwhelmed and ran away. The weather made it difficult for pilots to distinguish between Iraqi and ISIS forces.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au