By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-09-03

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is indoctrinating children in the eastern cities of Deir Ezzor and al-Mayadeen and recruiting them into its affiliated militias, local activists said.

The young recruits are being sent to military and ideological training camps, where they absorb the doctrine of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist), which calls for allegiance to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

"The IRGC is systematically recruiting children in the Deir Ezzor region," media activist Ayham al-Ali told Al-Fassel.

It does this through affiliated organizations such as Jihad al-Binaa Foundation, the Iranian Cultural Center and affiliated scout troops.

"The IRGC designates specific camps for training children, notably the Qassem Soleimani camp in Ayash in western rural Deir Ezzor, and Ain Issa camp," he said.

"Training courses are held on a constant basis for between 40 and 60 children who undergo physical and military training that includes the planting of explosive devices and the use of machine guns and artillery," he added.

Threats and enticement

The recruitment process begins with "recreational trips for children" and gifts and incentives that include food for the children's families, al-Ali said.

Academic classes are followed by "religious courses" of a sectarian nature, which in turn give way to courses on the Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine, he said.

Then comes military training.

Although the recruitment effort relies on enticement, directed at both children and their families, it is not without "threats, as families cannot refuse to send their children for fear of retaliation," al-Ali said.

"The matter is not limited to the Syrian interior only but extends to Iraq as well, since most families have members in both countries," he said.

Ideological indoctrination

The IRGC's recruitment of children under the age of 15 has been a key element of the successful dissemination of the Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine, Iranian affairs specialist Sheyar Turko told Al-Fassel.

"It is easy to indoctrinate children with new ideas and fully brainwash them so they become obedient tools that carry out orders without objection," he said.

This is an intentional policy that continues to this day, he said, whether in Iran or in the countries where IRGC affiliates are present.

"The brainwashing process is carried out through gatherings and camps, with invitations to attend issued primarily through cultural centers," Turko said.

The dissemination of the Wilayat al-Faqih docrine in Deir Ezzor and al-Mayadeen may be more difficult than in other areas because the majority of the population is Sunni, he said.

"Therefore, the matter is related to a change of sect, which requires redoubled efforts through financial enticements, privileges, pressures and threats of arrest," he said.