Some looked somewhat amused as they posed for photographs, as others just peered emotionless down at the body. The Islamic State militants said they performed the beheading in front of the children for “educational purposes.”
The slain Libyan soldier, Abdulnabi Shurgawi, was charged with apostasy, which amounts to not practicing the Islamic faith in accordance with the extremist ISIS standards.
Pictures of the gruesome execution, which is believed to have taken place at a mosque in the IS-stronghold of Derna, showed the Libyan soldier in an orange jumpsuit kneeling before black-clad armed men before being slain at the presence of a group of young children.
In the images, some of the children gather around to look at the decapitated head as a militant, clad in black, holds it high in the air. Others are looking down at the headless body and pool of blood.
The group claims that the children needed to see the execution for “educational purposes,” along with an up-close look at the aftermath. In other words, the terrorists want to ensure that these beheadings and horrific acts are viewed as a normal part of life by the up-and-coming generations of Islamic radicals.
As well as forcing children to become child soldiers, ISIS regularly exposes boys to brutal executions in the hope of breeding a generation of men for whom life is cheap and brutal murder is accepted.
The idea is that, with a callous attitude towards killing and relentless brainwashing with murderous and anti-Western propaganda, ISIS is slowly creating a jihadi networks that could last generations.
Libya erupted into civil war following the overthrow and killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Last year the country's internationally recongnised government was forced to leave the capital Tripoli by the conservative Islamist group Libya Dawn who have set up an opposition government.
