A new video released by ISIS militants purports to show the execution of two Russian spies at the hands of a child.
The nearly eight-minute video, called "Uncovering an Enemy Within," was released by Al Hayat, the English-language media arm of the ISIS.
The video includes interviews with two men who identify themselves as Russian Intelligence (FSB) agents Mamayev Jambulat Yesenjanovich from Kazakhstan and Ashimov Serge Nikolayavich, who says he used to be Muslim. The men state they were sent to spy on the militants in territory held by the Islamic State to relay information back to Russia in exchange for money. Later in the video, they appear to be executed by a young boy with a handgun.
"My mission was to come to Sham and get close to [an unnamed militant] and inform the FSB about him, and also to gather information about fighters from Russian and send the information to Russia," Yesenjanovich says in the video.
"I was required to send every information about the fighters in Sham and to determine the place of residence of an Islamic State leader," the second man, Nikolayavich, says, adding that he was sent to kill one of the group's leaders.
The video then cuts to show the two men kneeling in the dirt in front of a militant and a young boy holding a handgun.
The young boy then steps forward at the encouragement of the ISIS militant, raises the gun to the back of the first man's head and fires. He does the same with the second man, shooting him twice more after he slumps forward.
Charlie Winter, a researcher on jihadism in Syria and Iraq at London-based counter-extremism organisation Quilliam, says the boy, no older than 10, has appeared in previous videos released by ISIS.
The group has reportedly been grooming children to join its militant group through "cub camps" targeting those younger than 16. Iraqi security officials have said that the children, deemed "Cubs" in ISIS propaganda videos, are being taught the principles of jihad at several camp across Iraq and Syria.
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