Photo: Meet 11-year-old boy Whose Dream Is to Kill the President of His Country

Mohammed Afar, the resident of Aleppo area in Syria is 11 years old. The modified Kalashnikov assault rifle he carries stretches to more than half of his height. Over the top of his faded yellow jacket a Free Syrian Army (FSA) vest holds three extra clips, each full with live ammunition, and a walkie-talkie. An FSA badge sits on one side and a rendering of the Islamic Shahada, in Arabic calligraphy, on the other.

He says he does not miss school or want to stay at home with his mother and two sisters. “I want to stay as a fighter until Bashar is killed,” he says, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The fighters surrounding him, all claiming to be from Liwa al-Tawhid, pass him a sniper rifle and offer to take him to a frontline, so he can demonstrate his shooting.The father of the boy, Mohammed Saleh Afar refers to his son as “ great shot” and “a little lion.” According to Mohammed “When my father goes to the frontline, he takes me with him,” says Mohammed. “He says to be careful and we find a safe place to shoot from.”Over the course of its grinding 21-month insurgency, Syria’s children have endured numerous abuses.

NAIJABANG