At least 12 European jihadists who apparently became disillusioned while fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria are reportedly being detained in prison and punished for their defections.
The group – reportedly consisting of five Britons, three Frenchman, two Germans, and two Belgians – had their weapons confiscated and were marched to a punishment center in the ISIS-controlled Syrian city of Raqqa.
The European fighters are typically enticed to join ISIS to fight against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Hafez al-Assad. But once there and fighting begins, some are apparently discovering that things are not exactly as they imagined.
This group of fighters apparently got disenchanted when they were being instructed to shoot other rebels and kill fellow Muslims. Once they inform their commanders that they want to leave the effort and go home, they are imprisoned and face unknown punishment.
However, the discussion points out that the fighters are essentially left in limbo, since even if they were allowed to return to their home countries in Europe, they would face harsh penalties for their involvement with the brutal terrorist group.
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