A Chechen militant who has fought with the Islamic State (IS) group in Kobani has put out a request on social media for help to find a Chechen wife for a teenage Syrian boy also fighting with the group.
The militant, who calls himself Adam Al-Almany ("The German") and who appears to be a Russian-speaking Chechen from Germany, is a member of the Chechen-led Katibat Al-Aqsa in Islamic State. Almany said on the Russian VKontakte social network on December 13 that he is seeking a bride for 15-year-old Abu Yusuf Ansary, who is the youngest fighter in the faction. Chechen and other North Caucasian groups in Syria call Syrian militants who fight with them "Ansars," a term meaning "helpers" and which was originally used to refer to the local citizens of Medina who helped the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and his followers in that city.
Almany said that Abu Yusuf Ansary had taken part in a number of battles with Islamic State and was now looking for a Chechen wife.
"Despite his young age he has participated in a many well-known battles, namely in taking the 17th Tank Division Base in Raqqa, the 121st Rocket Artillery Base in Hasaka, the 173rd (if I'm not mistaken) Infantry Brigade in Raqqa, the Tabka Air Base and finally in Kobani and its environs," Almany wrote.
Abu Yusuf's decision to seek a Chechen wife came after he sustained a head wound while fighting in Kobani, according to Almany.
Describing Abu Yusuf as a "very modest and God-fearing brother,"Almany explained that "to the Arabs, all Caucasians are Chechens so we need a sister from the Caucasus."
As an added incentive for his followers on social media to help him, Almany referred to the Hadith, the reports of the teachings, deeds, and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.
"I want to remind you of the hadith that says that if you don't give your daughters to be married to those whose temper and iman [faith] are satisfactory to you, then there will be fitna [sedition] and vice in the world," he warned.
Almany explained that Abu Yusuf wanted to "save himself from that which is forbidden through a nikah [Islamic marriage]."
The Chechen Islamic State militant ends his post with a request.
"If anyone has a sister or daughter who wants to get married, you can send me a private message," he says.
Almany, who according to his social media posts was fighting in Kobani until he sustained an injury, has previously issued a plea for prayer for Islamic State militants in the northern Syrian town, telling his followers that, "You're all comfortable in a soft bed, and we are anxious under a rain of missiles."
Islamic State's Child Fighters
That the Islamic State group has child militants fighting in its ranks has been widely reported in the media.
The group has released images of teenage boys whom it has described as fighters. Activists and residents in both Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa, Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria, have reported that the militant group is running training camps for local Syrian children under 16.
There is also evidence that Islamic State is training the children of its foreign fighters. A recent video released by Islamic State militants showed a group of children from Kazakhstan undergoing military and ideological training in a camp in Syria. The video, "Race Toward Good," has been banned in Kazakhstan.
-- Joanna Paraszczuk