The Islamic State app for children uses weapons pictures to teach vocabulary. Photo: Long War Journal

Islamic State has launched an app aimed at children, teaching them letters of the Arabic alphabet using colourful pictures of guns, swords, tanks, bullets and missiles.

The Android app named Huroof – the Arabic word for alphabet – was distributed this week via the terrorist group’s channels on the messaging service Telegram.

While Islamic State has released other apps through its propaganda network, the Library of Zeal, Huroof was thought to be the first targeting children exclusively, the Long War Journal reported.

The program employs games and songs to teach children a vocabulary of weapons including dhakheera (ammunition), madfa’ (cannon) and saarukh (rocket).

In November, the Berlin-based Telegram said that in one week it had blocked 78 Islamic State channels in 12 languages.

– Fairfax Media

Source: Islamic State launches app for children based on weapon vocabulary