Iran is just different…
During the brutal Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Iran notably used child soldiers to clear minefields—sending young boys, some as young as 9–12, into heavily mined areas as human mine-clearers. These children often wore red headbands labeled “Sar Allah” (“Warriors of God”) and carried small keys symbolizing entry into Paradise upon martyrdom. In many cases they were bound together to stop them from turning back, and marched into minefields and barbed wire to pave the way for advancing tanks—even under machine-gun fire .