Inside The Mind Of An ISIS Fighter

To the outside world, they're a force of
ruthless yet mysterious insurgents bent on
terrorizing civilians and expanding Islamist rule.
But as one former ISIS fighter tells CNN, the
mentality goes much deeper.
"The main and principal goal of the Islamic State
that they tell their new members is to establish
an Islamic state that will encompass the Arab
world," the man said in Turkey. "And after that,
we go to other countries."
Just two weeks ago, the man was in Raqqa, the
ISIS stronghold in northern Syria. Like many cities
across Syria and Iraq, Raqqa has been overrun by
ISIS militants who show no mercy for those who
don't follow their hard line.
Crucifixions and public executions take
place virtually every day. Women not
fully covered in niqabs are lashed with
alarming frequency.
Even store owners who leave their
shops open during times of prayer can
get beaten or sent to prison.
The former insurgent, in his 20s, left
ISIS two weeks ago because he said
the group is "spreading injustice in the
name of justice."
But he still agrees with the ideology of
the group that is forcing its beliefs on
everyday life, including in education.
"Philosophy is prohibited; they
canceled it as a kind of blasphemy,"
he said. "Many subjects have been
canceled, like music and even
sometimes sports. All of them have
been canceled from the school
curriculum."
Perhaps the only thing as disturbing as ISIS'
terror rampage is the growing number of
foreigners joining its ranks.
Thousands of foreign fighters are estimated to
have joined ISIS. And the ex-ISIS militant said
these foreigners could carry out attacks when
they go home, but security measures in those
countries could make it difficult -- at least for
now.
"Since Western fighters joined ISIS, they consider
their home country as infidels," he said. "If they
have a chance, they will carry out attacks."
The United Kingdom is already on high alert,
raising its terror threat level from "substantial" to
"severe" on Friday. Prime Minister David Cameron
has proposed a radical new measure to ban
Britons from coming home once they join jihadi
ranks abroad.
And the United States got a harsh reminder of
ISIS' reach when Douglas McAuthur McCain, a
33-year-old from the Midwest, became the first
known American to be killed while fighting for
ISIS.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has called
ISIS "beyond just a terrorist group."
"They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic
and tactical military prowess," he said last week.
"This is beyond anything we have seen, and we
must prepare for everything."
ISIS may have wanted to show off its global
reach by having a militant with a British accent
front the videos of the beheadings of American
journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.
And that kind of tactic could also inspire more
foreigners, the former ISIS fighter told CNN.
"It is possible that the goal was to project the
image that a European, or a Western person,
executed an American so that they can showcase
their Western members and appeal to others
outside Syria and make them feel that they
belong to the same cause."