God's Army was an ethnic Karen (also translated as Kayin) militant group in Burma that gained notoriety more for its bizarre leadership structure than its terrorist activity.  The group was led by Johnny and Luther Htoo, twin brothers who were only nine years old when they formed the God's Army to fight against the ruling Burmese military junta. <P><br /><br />The Karen people are an ethnic minority in Burma who have been fighting for an independent homeland for almost 50 years.  Although violence has plagued Karen-majority areas for years, the Burmese army launched a massive operation in 1997, ostensibly aimed at wiping out Karen militants, but termed ethnic cleansing and genocide by many human-rights groups.  The assault, dubbed "Operation Spirit King" was initiated in order to secure a gas pipeline.  Thousands of Karen were killed, and at least 100,000 refugees flooded over the Burma-Thailand border.  It was from this crackdown that the God's Army was born. <P><br /><br />God's Army is a splinter group from the Karen National Union, the main Karen insurgent outfit in Burma.  According to legend, the group was formed in 1997 after the Htoo brothers, angry at other Karen militants fleeing from the Burmese Army, successfully led a military operation in which they killed several Burmese soldiers despite being hugely outnumbered.  Myths soon spread about the brothers, with many Karen believing that the boys had spiritual powers (the Karen religion is a blend of Christianity and animism) and were immune to bullets.  By 1998, several hundred fighters had joined the God's Army to fight against the junta.  The Htoo brothers reportedly were strict fundamentalist Christians and instituted a code of morality that prohibited drugs, alcohol, and meat products. After the media discovered the young leaders, the group became famous worldwide despite its limited impact on the Karen-Burmese conflict.  As was the case with other Karen militant groups, the Burmese army launched a heavy crackdown on God's Army. <P><br /><br />In January 2000, after the Burmese had inflicted heavy losses on the group, God's Army fighters (Johnny and Luther were not present) seized a hospital near the Thai-Burma border and held over 750 people hostage in an effort to secure medical assistance and communications for the group.  After a day, Burmese security forces stormed the hospital and killed all of the hostage-takers.  Many reports suggest that the God's Army cadres had surrendered before they were gunned down.  The Burmese continued their crackdown, and in January 2001 the Htoo brothers fled to Thailand and surrendered to authorities.  After their defection, the group essentially ceased to exist.  <P><br />