Information stored on a flash drive from a senior ISIS commander shows that the jihadists in the terror group were largely uninterested in suicide missions, better educated than expected and, to the alarm of those trying to stop the export of terror, very well-traveled, according to NBC news.
NBC reported the flash drive was stolen from a senior ISIS commander who worked with the Combating Terrorism Center at the elite military academy. They found most of the terrorists do not want to be martyrs, according to NBC news. Each candidate was asked if he wanted to be a regular fighter or a suicide bomber or suicide fighter, but only 12 percent ticked the box for martyrdom.
Lou Waiane, a sophomore education major from Vanuatu, said she felt it was unfair for the 78 percent who wanted to be regular fighters. “It never made sense to me how people would be so willing to be suicide bombers when they have families and so much to live for,” said Waiane.
“I think that most of these recruits don’t know what they are getting into and pay a heavy price for it.”The report also stated a third of the jihadists went to high school and a quarter had a college education. It was also found that the group was less educated on Islam and that 70 percent had only a basic understanding of Sharia, the body of the Islamic law.
Baily Jin, a freshman social work major from China, said she believed ISIS was fighting for their religion. “Sometimes, we don’t need to understand everything to believe it to be true,” said Jin. She explained that although she does not support ISIS, we cannot base their spirituality based on what they understand from the Sharia.
The diversity in the group were reported to have spanned the globe coming from all corners of the world — China (167), Iceland (1), Australia (13) to Trinidad and Tobago (2).
About 10 percent hailed from Western nations, including the United Kingdom (57) and the United States (14). In Europe, France (128) and Germany (80) had the highest numbers.
The international nature of the group is cause for concern, giving a glimpse of the ease with which ISIS members might be able to move around and blend in across the globe.
“I think because freedom of expression is so easy nowadays with the media and internet that it is spreading to other countries. That is probably how ISIS has spread all over the world,” said Gertie Bulaong, a sophomore ICS major from the Philippines.
She expressed concerns that ISIS will become increasingly popular and that they will be harder to stop. “Most of these people want to express their beliefs with no regard of who they hurt in the process,” added Bulaong.