Undercover reporter exposes ISIS propaganda

Terrorists belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been using social media and other avenues to recruit fighters to their cause.

One ISIS fighter tried to recruit what he thought was a 15-year-old to go to Syria, without knowing that "the girl" was actually a reporter from Canada's Global News network, Mail Online reported.

The terrorist used a false name - Abu Antar - and contacted the "15-year-old girl" through Skype.

The reporter, who does not want to be identified, had set up a fake Twitter account posing as a 15-year-old to see how much attention she would receive from jihadis in Syria. Within hours, she was inundated with messages.

Abu Antar was one of them, the report said.

In chilling messages, the man gave step-by-step instructions on how the girl could slip away from her family by pretending to sleep at a friend's house and then embarking on a dangerous journey to the Middle East region occupied by ISIS fighters.

"The moment you land in Turkey, I'll have everything ready," he reportedly told the journalist.

"But ah, my biggest concern is you getting out to Istanbul without your parents going crazy, you know.

"You need to travel completely Western."

The ISIS propaganda machinery has even published brochures to entice people to move to Syria, reported the Mirror Online.

In the brochures, they spin tales of peace and harmony, of a place where everything is available in abundance.

One such guide was written by Briton Abu Rumaysah al Britani, also known as Siddhartha Dhar, who fled the UK to fight for the terror group.

He writes: "Snickers, Kit Kat, Bounty, Twix, Kinder Surprise, Cadburys - yes, yes, we have it all.

A Brief Guide To The Islamic State (2015) also promises a Mediterranean climate, mouth-watering food, a "cosmopolitan atmosphere" and even travel by Zeppelin.

"If you were worried about leaving behind your local Costa coffee then you will be happy to know that the caliphate serves some of the best lattes and cappuccinos around," the brochure boasts.

A section on weather promises "an exquisite Mediterranean climate that has all the makings of a push holiday resort".

He adds: "If you thought London or New York was cosmopolitan then wait until you step foot in the Islamic State."

'MARRIAGE BONUS'

If the promise of such high living is not enough, fighters are apparently even provided with a "marriage bonus" to help them settle down in Raqqa, the ISIS' capital of the self-proclaimed "caliphate, CBS News reported.

Syrian fighter Abu Bilal al-Homsi was united with his Tunisian bride for the first time after months chatting online. They married, then reportedly passed the days dining in restaurants, strolling along the Euphrates River and eating ice cream.

He claimed he received a marriage bonus and that he had a larger than usual one because his new wife is a doctor and speaks four languages.

A new ISIS elite is visible in Raqqa, reported CBS News.

Luxury houses and apartments that once belonged to Syrian government officials have been taken over by the new ISIS ruling class, said a member of an anti-ISIS media collective in the city who goes by the name of Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi.

Raqqa is cushioned from the fighting around its edges. Its supermarkets are well stocked and it has several Internet cafes.

"The city is stable, has all the services and all that is needed. It is not like rural areas the group controls," Mr al-Raqqawi said. "Raqqa is now the new 'New York' of the caliphate."

Meanwhile, the UN has said that Islamist extremist fighters are coming from more than half the countries in the world, The Guardian reported.

A report by the UN security council said there are more than 25,000 "foreign terrorist fighters" who are involved in jihadi conflicts and they are "travelling from more than 100 member states".

If you were worried about leaving behind your local Costa coffee then you will be happy to know that the caliphate serves some of the best lattes and cappuccinos around.

- Excerpt from a brochure (right) written by an ISIS fighter

This article was first published on May 28, 2015.
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