HASAKAH, Syria — This Islamic State (ISIS) prisoner in northeast Syria now wants to go to a freer country in Europe.
Mohammed Qasim is from Turkey, but fought in Syria in ISIS’ bid to establish and maintain its caliphate. Now in the detention of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), he says he wants out.
“I want to live in a place where I can live freely,” Qasim told Rudaw, surrounded by tens of fellow ISIS detainees in a windowless room. “I want to go to any country that has more freedom like the European countries, for example, Germany or Sweden.”
The SDF’s prison in Hasakah holds 4,000 alleged ISIS fighters. They ventured to Syria and Iraq to fight from all over the world.
Zein Ahmad Zein came from the picturesque Indian ocean island Seychelles with his then 21-year-old son. He says watching Muslims die at the hands of the Syrian regime on Al Jazeera and other networks prompted him to join ISIS and leave his beautiful homeland.
“We saw the atrocities in Syria, the regime killing a lot of Muslims,” he told Rudaw. “It just felt like I had to do something to help the Muslim brothers and sisters.”
ISIS fought Kurdish, Syrian regime, rebel, US-led coalition and other forces in Syria. They also took thousands of women and children as slaves, subjecting them to sexual and other forms of abuse.
The SDF has said repeatedly it may not be able to maintain control of the prison due to Turkey’s recent attack on the SDF in northeast Syria, which has prompted the US-backed group to send more troops to the border.
Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization with ties to Kurdish militants in Turkey. Prison officials are worried the prisoners could escape due to the conflict with Turkey.
There are 15,000 ISIS poisoners in 10 prisons in Syria. Some have already escaped in the chaos that ensued Turkey’s attack.
Reporting by Halkawt Aziz and Roj Ali Zala
Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed
