Topic - Now Salif

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Two young fighters recite Koranic verses for a journalist, at the request of their Islamist commanders, in Douentza, Mali, late last month. Across northern Mali, Islamists have recruited and paid for as many as 1,000 children from poverty-stricken rural towns and villages, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. Interviews provide evidence that a new generation in what was long a moderate and stable Muslim nation is becoming radicalized. (The Associated Press)

Islamists in Mali paying for child soldiers

By Krista Larson And Baba Ahmed - Associated Press

Young fighters, including 13-year-old Abdullahi (right) and 14-year-old Hamadi (second right), display their Quranic studies notes for a journalist as their Islamist commanders watch in Douentza, Mali, on Sept. 27, 2012. (Associated Press)

Islamists in Mali recruit, pay for child soldiers

By Baba Ahmed and Krista Larson - Associated Press