Isis documents leak: Experts disagree on whether 'recruitment files’ are genuine

[Jefferson23]

Inconsistencies call into question whether they are simply fakes designed to make money

Patrick Cockburn

Thursday 10 March 2016

Documents said to have been stolen by a deserter from Isis illustrate the complexity of the means by which the self-declared Islamic State recruits foreign volunteers. But doubts are also being expressed about the authenticity of the files giving details about potential foreign fighters who reached Syria and Iraq.

The files, published by German, British and Syrian opposition media, show the names, addresses and phone numbers of some 1,700 people who are identified in 22,000 documents.

Recruits are asked to answer 23 questions which includes their mother’s maiden name, understanding of Sharia law and blood type.

If genuine, the files, which appear to be several years old, would help identify the web of contacts through which Isis came into contact with and moved foreign supporters to the main battlefield in Syria and Iraq.

Specialists on Isis expressed different opinions about the authenticity of the documents which seem to come from the same source.

James Harkin, the author of Hunting Season, an account of the kidnapping of foreigners in Syria by Isis and other extremist groups, reacted with skepticism to the revelations, saying: “I have often been offered memory sticks said to contain documents pertaining to Isis which are on sale on the Turkish-Syrian border.”



The documents appear to ask recruits a series of questions

in full: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-documents-leak-experts-disagree-on-whether-recruitment-files-are-genuine-a6923916.html

[KoKo]

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