British Takfiris Shunned Frontline in Favor of Torture Squads

Local Editor

Abu Mutassim, was one of three men who had deserted from Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] in northern Syria, across the border from Turkey and faced an uncertain future.

The Takfiris are in retreat and their "caliphate shrinking", but that did not mean they could not still exact vengeance on traitors: insurgents had been executed just on the suspicion of planning to leave.

A vengeful Daesh was not the only threat to these fleeing men. The families and comrades of those they had killed in the course of the brutal war, from other militant groups and tribal militia would also exact retribution if they had a chance to do so.

It was perhaps this knowledge which made Abu Mutassim appear fatalistic and be more candid than most other fighters who had fled the ranks of Takfiri groups in Syria and Iraq.

The two young men with him, Muslims from Belgium, had volunteered interesting information including that the hierarchy of Isis was paranoid about infiltration by Western intelligence services.

At the same time, both had been anxious to repeatedly stress that they had played no part in the acts of savagery for which Daesh had become a byword.

Like other former fighters, 30-year-old Abu Mutassim had trimmed the long beard and had disposed of his combat uniform. He and his companions claimed that they had thrown away their weapons.

Abu Mutassim had been a grain trader in Aleppo, living with his family in a village to the west of the city. He was among the thousands who had taken part in protest marches.

The West had encouraged the people to rise up but it gave no effective support on the ground, Abu Muatassim explained.

"One reason some of us joined was we were angry with Americans, with the British, the French. They wanted us to fight against Bashar [al-Assad], to bring him down, they promised us help. How many people died waiting for that help to arrive?" he shrugged.

Joining Takfiri extremists after being let down by the West is now a familiar theme among many men. There may well be truth in this - but how did that explain the beheadings, burnings, shootings and abuse of Syrians and Iraqis committed by Daesh?

"A lot of people did not agree with those things: that is the main reason why we left. They twisted Sharia and persecuted people when they should have been devoting their time against Assad," said Abu Mutassim.

"But do you know who are the most cruel in this? It is the foreign fighters. They were always pretending they were more religious than us, they were informing on other fighters, on the people, Syrians. There is a lot of suffering because of these foreigners," he pointed out.

Abu Mutassim was not surprised that Mohammed Emwazi, or "Jihadi John", from London and a team of fellow British nationals were made jailers and executioners of journalists and aid workers held as hostages.

"You never saw these people much in the frontline, they always tried to get into the amniyat [‘ISIS's' ‘security service'] so they could torture and punish people," he said.

Abu Mutassim added, "Hundreds of civilians have been killed by the airplanes of the Americans, the Russians and the British. And what about horrible things being done by fighters supported by Europe and America? We know someone who ate a human body, don't we?"

"So, even in all this violence, there are differences..." muttered Abu Mutassim.

He was saying there were degrees of evil one must almost grade what happens in a conflict like Syria.

Source: The Independent, Edited by website team