From School Teacher To ISIS Fighter: 25-Year Old Lady's Emotional Confession

A Syrian woman has revealed how she was lured away from her life as a school teacher and became a member of a female ISIS brigade before fleeing the group after witnessing crucifixions and cruel beheadings. The defector, only known as Khadija, grew up in Syria and taught elementary school pupils in the country, but left her old life after being convinced to join ISIS by a man she met online. She became a member of the group's female brigade, who are tasked with patrolling the streets of Raqqa, making sure other women adhere to the rules of the Islamic State.
But after witnessing violence such as crucifixions and beheadings, she became disillusioned and fled the group, and has now reached safety in Turkey. The 25-year-old told her story on CNN, saying at first she joined the protests against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, before meeting a Tunisian man online, who persuaded her to join the Islamic State.

She eventually moved to Raqqa, where she joined the Khansa'a brigade, who patrol the streets making sure women wear the clothing approved by the Islamic State. Khadija was also trained to dismantle and fire weapons and paid $200 a month.

She explained that those found not to be adhering to the rules are lashed by a brigade member known as Umm Hamza. Khadija told CNN: 'She's not a normal female. She's huge, she has an AK, a pistol, a whip, a dagger and she wears the niqab.' She also told how brigade commander Umm Rayan would say, 'We are harsh with the infidels, but merciful among ourselves.'
But despite being part of the brigade and receiving money for her work, she started to become disillusioned with ISIS after seeing a crucifixion of a 16-year-old boy accused of rape and beheadings. She also witnessed male ISIS fighters be sexually violent towards their wives, resulting in some of them being so badly injured, they had to go to hospital.

And with the commander of Khansa'a pressurising her into an arranged marriage, she decided to flee, just days before airstrikes on ISIS targets in Syria and is now across the border in Turkey. She explained: 'I am not like this. I have a degree in education. I shouldn't be like this. What happened to me? What happened in my mind that brought me here?'

Her story comes after Kurdish women have come to the forefront of the fight against ISIS in Syria.

Credit: CNN.com / DailyMail UK