A jihadist who is being held captive by northern Iraqi Kurds told Fox News that he executed 70 people during his stint as a fighter for the brutal and violent Islamic State.
Northern Iraqi Kurds are holding captive hundreds of Islamic State (IS, ISIL, or ISIS) fighters, including the one who spoke to Fox News in an exclusive interview.
The fighter was identified as “Omar,” a 25-year old former ISIS fighter from the village of Dor sal-hadeen in Iraq.
Omar said he killed many of his compatriots as well as foreigners after joining ISIS.
The Iraqi “said he became a prolific killer for ISIS, by his count racking up 70 executions in a matter of months. He claimed he killed his victims with rifle shots, and was chillingly candid about why he did it,” states the article.
“Because they were saying bad words about A’isha [one of Mohammad’s wives, known as the ‘mother of believers’] and burning a mosque,” Omar told Fox News, “adding that he did not receive any type of reward from ISIS leaders for the large number he killed.”
Omar was interviewed by reporter Hollie McKay.
“I would call you to Islam and if you did not come, I would kill you,” he responded when asked how he would react if he saw his interviewer on the street.
Kurdish officials warned against being fooled by Omar’s display of remorse and willingness to join the fight against ISIS.
The former ISIS fighter was captured on Oct. 8 by Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, soon after he allegedly deserted the jihadist group. He claims to have been “forced” to join ISIS.
Omar was convicted of terrorism and subsequently transferred to an undisclosed detention facility. He was initially sentenced to death, but a judge commuted his punishment to life behind bars.
“Omar and other hundreds of other former ISIS soldiers and deserters are being interrogated for intelligence that may help the Kurdish Peshmerga army in its fight against the jihadist group,” reports Fox News. “Kurdish officials say the men are being held under conditions in adherence to international law and monitored by the Red Cross.”
Fox News interviewed another former ISIS fighter who said he was lured to join by the group’s Facebook pages. He was identified as 19-year-old Kurd named “Dawen.”
The U.S.-led airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq are helping the Kurds fight the jihadists on the ground.
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