Interview with an ISIS member caught by SDF.
Transcript:
I came in contact with that man, abu-Abdalla Natheer.
I gave him my name.
And he asked were I was from.
I gave him my [personal] information.
He said: That’s all. Tomorrow or the day after someone will contact you.
I waited for two days perhaps, then someone contacted me.
I couldn’t speak Arabic, nor English; I hadn't finished school in Pakistan.
I only knew a bit of English.
Someone who was with me, told me: come to Urfa.
So I went to the bus station.
I took a bus from there towards Urfa.
But I’m not sure if I went to Gaziantep or to Urfa directly. I don’t remember.
I called him at the station.
He asked where I was, I said: I’m here.
Then a vehicle came.
He asked: Are you abdel-Azeem. I said: Yes.
He said: come!
They took us to a dormitory Urfa.
When I entered, I saw strange people.
Some from Saudi Arabia, some from Yemen.. from many countries. Many nationalities.
We headed towards the Syrian border in Urfa.
Maybe 15-20 or 30 people, approximately.
We saw people farming in Turkey.
Through the farms, we entered Syria.
The border was not secured.
So, we entered Syria.
After 10-15 minutes we were over the border.
A vehicle came and took us to tal-Abiyadh.
We entered tal-Abiyadh… I was about 16 at the time.
I didn’t know anyone… some people spoke Arabic, other spoke English.
So, I was keeping to myself… I didn’t know what was going on around me.
Because there weren’t many Pakistanis… No Pakistani had come with me.
After two days, they took us to Tabqa.
There were people from Bangladesh, Russia…
The Bengali spoke a little of my language, so I could understand them.
We reached Tabqa; we remained there for about a week.
In a house.
Then I went… after seven days they took us to Raqqa.
They registered our names and such; we stayed there, in Raqqa, for a couple of days perhaps.
Then a vehicle came. They took us to Mosul.
We remained there for a month and a half for Shari’a and military courses.
Frankly, [ISIS] people didn’t want to stay in Iraq. As I told you.
So, after the military camp...
there were people who hadn't seen their families for two or three months.
So, they said: we want to go and see out families.
The reply was: No! According to orders, you must go to Bayji.
They took us to a dormitory.
They assigned us the “Tarik al-???”
There were people of many nationalities there.
It was the Muhajireen [immigrants] battalion.
Some were Russians, some were inaudible... very mixed.
Those who came with me from the military camp, got killed once we arrived.
I was wounded and went back to Mosul.
They took me to Raqqa.
Because I was wounded, I joined the “Saif al-Dawla” group.
There, I was told no tot talk to anyone.
There was one from Pakistan, and another I didn’t know where he was from.
I asked him where they were going to go. He said that they were to be sent to Europe.
There was a place dedicated for people who wanted to Europe and people who wanted to go back to their countries for explosions and such.
It was an exclusive place. Secret. No one knew [its location].
Listen, in 2015… after 2015, the route was blocked.
That, I know. The Urfa route was blocked.
People started coming from Idlib. Through Hama route.
