Washington Post: "Homesick Jihadists are Debating Whether to Return to their Comfortable Lives in the West" by Rita Katz
From Rita Katz's Washington Post article, "Homesick jihadists are debating whether to return to their comfortable lives in the West":
Some foreign fighters loudly characterize their lives abroad as joyous and fulfilling. They call Syria and Iraq their new homes — advancing the notion that IS and other jihadist groups have created (or will create) a legitimate state. Canadian IS fighter "Abu Turaab" tweeted on Aug. 28:
Another one of the many blessing of Shaam [Syria]. You never miss home while you're here. It's as though you were never alive until you crossed over
"Muslim-Al-Britani," a British native who claims to have entered Syria by foot from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, wrote last month:
User "Abu Abdullah," a founding member of Rayat al-Tawheed, a media group of mostly British IS fighters in Syria, has made similar statements. On Sept. 16, he tweeted, "For all those who ask if we ever plan to come back," with a corresponding image:
