Dutch ISIS recruits held pivotal roles in the terrorist group — not the minor roles they have claimed — and they should be held fully accountable for their crimes, a report from the Counter Extremist Project think tank says.
Claims that they were radicalised and groomed online have also been dismissed after evidence has emerged that many were members of extremist group Sharia4Holland — an offshoot of Britain's Anjem Choudary's banned Al-Muhajiroun group.
Choudary has been accused of being one of Europe's most prolific ISIS recruiters.
The Counter Extremism Project's (CEP) report, titled “Dutch Foreign Fighters: Before, During and After the ISIS Caliphate,” looks at the true nature of the role of Dutch recruits and calls on the authorities to hold them fully accountable.
“This report seeks to provide a snapshot into some of the roles and activities in the Caliphate of Dutch recruits to ISIS. For those on whom information is readily available, the truth is certainly more complex than the existing tropes and caricatures imply,” the report's author, CEP Strategic Adviser Liam Duffy, said.
“Too often, we fall back into easy explanations such as the unique and hypnotic power of IS propaganda. As this report demonstrates, Dutch citizens did not leave in their hundreds because they were manipulated online, but in most cases because they wished to live under Sharia as implemented by the jihadists of ISIS.
“Dutch citizens were not simply cooks or welders, but many served in combatant roles. Some were connected to ISIS’s worst abuses and excesses.
“Failing to confront these realities has blunted and softened the cry for justice and accountability, insulted the victims of ISIS, and leaves European societies vulnerable to future waves of jihadist recruitment.”
It has found many were not “vulnerable or impressionable teenagers” but were on average aged 23.
Despite their protestations, the report found many were in frontline roles, including ISIS fighter Yago Riedijk, who was married to British schoolgirl Shamima Begum, who left the UK with her friends to join ISIS.
Riedijk claimed he was a welder and a medic but was pictured posing with a Kalashnikov rifle, and he had sent a photo home of himself in military uniform claiming to be a soldier for ISIS.
The report found 70 per cent of Dutch recruits came from the same areas and were connected to four extremist groups.
“The paper demonstrates that foreign fighters departing from the Netherlands to Syria were heavily geographically concentrated, often involving individuals who knew each other in the Netherlands before joining the Islamic State,” CEP Executive Director David Ibsen said.
“Given the evidence presented in this report, that so many Dutch foreign fighters would now claim manipulation, ignorance, or never having been involved in violence, arguably demonstrates a near total lack of personal responsibility for their individual decisions. This must be taken into account by lawmakers when considering how to prosecute them upon their return to the Netherlands.”
According to the European police agency Europol, about 5,000 Europeans went to fight in Syria and Iraq, of whom roughly 1,500 have returned.
It is believed 300 Dutch men and women joined the war in Iraq and Syria.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
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The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
Specs
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Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
More on animal trafficking
