Captured documents belonging to the Islamic State group in Mosul, Iraq, reveal the terror organization has a problem with malingering recruits.
Iraqi counterterrorism personnel recently uncovered a slew of documents belonging to ISIS’s Tariq Bin Ziyad battalion. The files detail 14 “problem” fighters who appeared to make up excuses to ensure their lives were not taken on the battlefield.
“He doesn’t want to fight, wants to return to France,” one note said, The Washington Post reported. “Claims his will is a martyrdom operation in France. Claims sick but doesn’t have a medical report.”
A Belgian fighter showed up with a note for back pain as a reason for avoiding the front lines, while a man from Kosovo complained of a headache.
Aymenn al-Tamimi, an analyst specializing in militant groups, told the newspaper that such documents may provide an accurate glimpse of the organization’s current morale.
“People say that they are the most motivated, but there are plenty of foreign fighters that went and found that the [ISIS] experience wasn’t what they thought it would be,” Mr. Al-Tamimi said. “They thought it would be a great adventure.”
“When those fighters refuse to fight, it means that they’ve realized this organization is fake Islam and not the one they came for,” added Iraqi Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Tamimi.
The seized documents include each recruit’s name, country of origin, country of residency, date of birth, blood type and weapons skills, the Post reported. The number of “slave girls” in each man’s possession was also noted.
Iraqi forces recently recaptured eastern Mosul after three months of fighting. Operations with U.S. coalition allies began in mid-October and are expected to continue for months since western Mosul has 750,000 residents.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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