The terrorist organization “Islamic State” is growing, and Turkey supports the extremists. Jihadists are recruited in the middle of Istanbul – with a promise to set up a theocracy, even as far as Israel.

For a 21-year-old Ahmet has seen many corpses. He killed himself to be feared life, delivered in house fighting battles, thrown hand grenades, survived bombings and dragged wounded. He shows films it on his smartphone. Ahmet with weapon. Ahmet with corpse. Ahmet with Injured.

Ahmet is fighter of the terrorist organization “Islamic State” (IS), he was twice in Syria in use and soon he will go there again, “to the end,” he says. He currently stays in Istanbul to recover. He was also recruited.

He looks haggard, his bony shoulders are emerging under the too big shirt, the belt in his jeans sitting on the closest hole. He wears a full beard, the hair above the upper lip is shaved off. “As the Prophet, peace be upon him,” he says.

Now he lives with cousins ​​in Fatih, a conservative district, a few weeks he wants to stay. Ahmet is a Turkish citizen, but he dreams of a life in a Caliphate, ranging from Iraq to Syria and “someday, inshallah,” from Pakistan to Turkey and Israel.

Jihadists From Turkey:Brainwashing by the recruitment

Two years ago, Ahmed was recruited in Istanbul by an IS-predecessor organization, a teenager from broken homes, six years of education, in search of support. His mother died when he was seven. His father remarried, her stepmother beat him, he says. Ahmet often drew his neighborhood and admired in the Koranic school the older boys who sported with their radical ideas.

One of them spoke to him, asked if he would not like to fight for Islam. “He promised me $ 400 a month,” says Ahmet. They brought him closer to radical Islam, “without mosque, a Muslim just need a basic, clean place to pray.” And they promised him a combat training at a camp in Syria.

It must have been brainwashed, because the cousins ​​of Ahmet, who accompany him to the meeting in a teahouse in Istanbul, saying he had not been before so radically. Ahmet says: “I believe it is not wrong to die in battle for the faith It can be reached on a direct path to paradise..”

The jihadists of IS have conquered a territory as large as Bavaria on Iraqi and Syrian territory. At least 10,000 members include the terrorist organization, young men from Arab countries, but also from Central Asia, Germany, UK, France and Turkey.

Jihadists From Turkey:Extremists in teahouses

Istanbul, the dazzling metropolis, according to the findings of intelligence and statements of fighters is an important Rekrutierungsort for the terrorist organization. Here, among 15 million people, the extremists do not fall onto, here you can rent apartments unmolested and without risk appeal to young men.

Many young Europeans ready to fight, but without contacts, travel here. In stores where flags and banners are offered with symbols of IS, get phone numbers, the name of a teahouse or a Koranic school. The contact with extremists is relatively easy to get. The police, they say, look away, because the government a fall of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad’s wish and every support that contributes to it.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had put an end to his former friend Assad about three years ago. But unlike in other Arab states of the fall did not succeed. About half a year after the violence in Syria was considering, Turkey continued secret intelligence war against the neighboring country. Thus instructed Erdogan Chief of Staff Necdet Özel with appropriate plans. He came to the conclusion that such a campaign would cost several thousand Turkish soldiers life.

Jihadists From Turkey:Turkey has lost control

Erdogan was raging, but burying his war plans. Since then, weapons, ammunition, supplies and fighters are sent via Turkey to Syria, in the evening or at night. The competent authorities shall ensure that power outages, so that the transports take place in complete darkness. Multiple warnings, among others from the U.S. and Germany, the extremists could eventually turn against Turkey, you would not hear in Ankara. They have under control, it said.

But long ago, Turkey has lost control. IS, as can be heard, Turkey threatened with violence, Ankara should Western pressure to give in and stop supporting the group. A warning, there were already: the kidnapping of 81 Turkish citizens in Iraq Mosul. A group of truck drivers is now simply released again, but several Turkish diplomats are still in the hands of IS. Observers also fear IS could resort to terrorist attacks on cities such as Istanbul to harm Turkey.

The extremists are already in place. “The international force, which together can be found here in Istanbul, one of the common faith,” says Ercan, 25 He has fought for IS in Syria, but escaped and wants nothing to do with terrorism. He, too, has been transformed into Istanbul, holds in a Mosque in Fatih, from a club collects donations to religious war, and look out for potential fighters. He meets for conversation in a café within a posher area of ​​Istanbul. After Fatih he does not dare.

“They are mainly looking for emotionally disturbed personalities, the orientation of lots and searching for meaning, which they promise to help,” says Ercan. “However, they consider the people exactly, hark, before they take it. They told me, my understanding of Islam is wrong. Then they brought me their radical version closer and looked how I reacted.” At first he liked the idea of ​​the struggle for an Islamic empire.

Ercan, who for many years was sniffing glue and was 17 a physical wreck, hoping for a better life and a cure for his addiction. “I was taken to Syria for a training camp, where I learned to shoot together with other Turks.” He received his addiction under control. But when he once saw an experienced fighter a man headed home and played with the head football or as a Syrian soldier was shot because the did not know at what time the next prayer begins, and thus proved to be “incredulous” he wanted have nothing more to do with IS. Now he lives in Istanbul and fears for his life because he is considered a traitor.

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