The jihadis from other countries tend to stick in groups by
nationality or language – the British together, the Dutch together – and
they don’t have much to do with ordinary people here. Both sides are
afraid of each other.
If someone tries to talk with the foreigners, the Islamic police are
likely to turn up and ask why he is bothering them, or perhaps accuse
him of being a spy. But the foreigners are also nervous, perhaps because
their families or governments in their countries don’t know they are
here. Maybe they are worried that their photos or real names might be
published, and that this will cause problems if they want to go home.
In fact, though, there is little chance of them going back. It’s easy
to get into Raqqa, but very hard to get out. When foreign fighters go
to Raqqa the first thing they do is confiscate their passports, and in
sermons at the mosques Isis has warned people against giving foreigners
new IDs.
Some of them just get bored when they arrive here from London or New
York. Raqqa was never an exciting city and now there is nothing to do at
all, so they lose enthusiasm. Others just came to live a good life
under the caliphate, but they don’t really want to fight, so when Isis
needs men and tries to take them to the frontline they are unhappy.
Isis can’t afford news to get out of people defecting, so anyone
attempting to sneak out is executed in secret. They killed several
people in the west of the city and just dumped their bodies in a hole
until the smell got so bad that they had to bury them.
end quote from:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/21/islamic-state-capital-raqqa-syria-isis
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