A growing number of defectors from
the so-called Islamic State are speaking publicly about their decision
to leave, according to a new report.
The defectors risk reprisals
by members of the militant group and imprisonment by their home nations,
the report says, leading most to go into hiding.
But researchers at King's College London found 58 defectors had spoken out, two-thirds of them this year.
The report suggests their testimonies could help to discourage new members.
The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation
(ICSR) at King's College, which published the report, estimates that
hundreds of former militants have now defected or attempted to defect.
Dozens
are thought to have made it out via Turkey while others have reportedly
been caught and executed. The ICSR claims that the 58 cases in their
study are "likely only a fraction of those disillusioned, ready to
defect and/or willing to go public".
What the defectors said
"I opened up my jacket and said, 'I have a suicide vest, but I don't want to blow myself up'" - Usaid Barho, Syrian teenager
"Anything that contradicts their
beliefs is forbidden. Anyone who follows what they reject is an apostate
and must be killed" - anonymous defector
"The restrictions on leaving made it feel a bit like a prison" - Abu Ibrahim, 'Westerner'
Media captionA defector from IS spoke to the BBC's Paul Wood: ''I joined IS out of fear''
The
researchers identify several key narratives among the reasons for
leaving IS. Most defectors said they were concerned with brutality
against fellow Muslims and perceived "un-Islamic" behaviour among
members, including corruption.
Some
admitted they were disappointed with the quality of life under IS.
"They were typically among the ones who had joined the group for
material and 'selfish' reasons, and quickly realised that none of the
luxury goods and cars that they had been promised would materialise,"
the report says.
Two fighters said they defected after learning they were to be suicide bombers. Speaking to the BBC last year, one defector, who asked not to be named, said the "brutality of IS terrifies everyone".
"Anything
that contradicts their beliefs is forbidden. Anyone who follows what
they reject is an apostate and must be killed," he said.
Image copyrightISImage caption
Many former fighters say IS propaganda led them to expect a better life
The report suggests that stories of disillusionment could help to discourage new recruits.
"The
defectors provide unique insight into life in the Islamic State," it
says. "But their stories can also be used as a potentially powerful tool
in the fight against it. The defectors' very existence shatters the
image of unity and determination that IS seeks to convey."
The US is already fighting a propaganda war against the group. Among its tools are a State Department-run Twitter account named "Think Again Turn Away" devoted to pushing out anti-IS messages.
But
the ICSR urges governments to do more to encourage former IS militants
to speak out, including removing legal obstacles such as prosecution on
terror charges.
The report acknowledges that many of the defectors
may have committed crimes and have an incentive to "say whatever they
think will save them from prosecution or worse". But it said the
narratives compiled by the ICSR were "so strong and consistent" with
other accounts that they could be regarded as valid.
The earliest
cases compiled in the report date from January 2014 and the most recent
from August this year. Overall, two thirds of cases occurred during the
first eight months of 2015 and one third in the summer months alone.
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