A leading human rights association in the Kingdom has announced that it would closely follow up on the fate of two Saudi minors who were taken by their father to Islamic State (IS) combat zones in Iraq and Syria.

Ahmad and Abdullah Al-Shayiq, 10 and 11, appeared in a photograph with the man, in which one of the boys can be seen carrying a Kalashnikov rifle and raising his index figure, while the second is holding a hand grenade with the IS flag in the background.

“The father’s behavior is unacceptable under any law, whether Islamic or international,” said sources at the Saudi-based National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).

Authorities have appealed to members of the public to help find the two children and reuniting them with their mother.

“Dragging children into combat zones is a crime in the name of childhood,” Mufleh Al-Qahtani, head of the NSHR, told local media.

“The ongoing war and confusion in these parts of the world make it impossible for the society to directly engage in rescue efforts. Two innocent boys will be traumatized for life because of the reckless actions of their father.”

Al-Qahtani asserted that every effort would be made to follow up on their case despite the obstacles.

“Our religion forbids us from thrusting children into war and disputes. Such actions are strictly forbidden in Islamic law,” he said.

“These regions are already witnessing grave human rights abuses without having to make children living in peace and security suffer as well,” he said.