Way to ” Caliphate ” State

Abdalaziz Alhamza – Exclusive – Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently

The control process of border between countries is considered one of the most complicated things, where countries are unable to control and regulate its border, so smuggling processes of various kinds are everywhere, with varying difficulties, but it is inevitably existent.

Picture for Syrian-Turkish border from the side of Tell Abiad City
Satellite picture for Syrian-Turkish border from the side of Tell Abiad City

Entry to the city of Ar-Raqqa is not without difficulties, hindrances are existent, but ISIS overcame them to facilitate the entry of foreigners who want to join the group, where the border areas from the Syrian side is under their authority, the group receives the arrivals, especially from the Syrian cities of Jarablus and Tell Abiad, all smugglers are under the authority of the Security Office of ISIS, and they bring entrants to Syria in front of the members of the group.

For civilians, they do not come through smuggling, where the official border crossing of Tell Abiad allows the entry of civilians after photographing them and checking their personal data and signing a written pledge not to return to Turkey, so the road of smuggling is for those who want to join ISIS, or for who planning to operations against them.

Insertion of ISIS supporters from Turkey into Syria is taking place through the borderline between them, where a large area is under the control of the group, entering process begins at night from 12 A.M until 3,30 o’clock in the morning, from the eastern side of Tell Abiad City through the following areas: Almenbateh village – Knitra – Bir Asheq – Nesef Tel – Rajm Aunwa , in addition to the western side of Tell Abiad of the following areas: Assaleem – Kraysour – Kamar Eddin – Abu Juma village, and all of these villages are close to the Turkish border under the control of ISIS and used for smuggling, as used by some members to defect from the group and escape to Turkey.

ISIS used several villages between the towns of Ar-Ra’ee and Jarablus eastern of Aleppo Governorate for smuggling operations, but it is rare to used for smuggling foreign supporters, because the group uses them to smuggling oil and tobacco and other goods, in addition to being close to the areas of battles between ISIS and free army factions, most notably is”Kekleja – Ledegneq – Qerquey Krad – Treikhem – Ayyasha- Zoghra- Arab Azzah – Haj Wali – Bab Lemon – Khalilieyh – Sheikh Jacob “

Entrance of the border city of Tell Abiad
Entrance of the border city of Tell Abiad
Entrance of Jarablus city
Entrance of Jarablus city

Three British girls who travelled from Gatwick Airport to Istanbul on Tuesday, Shamima Begum (15 years) and Khadija Sultan (16 years) and a third girl (15 year), moved to the city of Akcakale southern Turkey, it’s not the first incident and will not be the last.

Activists group “Raqqa is being slaughtered silently” which working inside Raqqa, managed to get some details about the subject of their disappearance, it seems that one of their colleague has joined the group since nearly three months ago, who called itself “Um Mujahid” later, where she began communicate with them and convince them to come into Raqqa and join ISIS, the British girl “Um Mujahid” has linked the girls in love stories with foreign fighters, in order to convince them to come and marry fighters, as she did, saying that her life became happy after this step.

One of the smugglers told the group of “Raqqa is being slaughtered silently” that members of the Security Office of ISIS entered to Turkey, accompanied by a smuggler from Raqqa, and they asked to stop the smuggling of goods on that day, it seems that the group wanted to introduce persons, it appeared later that they were three women wearing a veil and black Abaya imposed by ISIS, the smuggler has guessed that these three women are the British girls, after their photographs were displayed in front of him.

These reasons show why ISIS keeps control on border crossings, which considered from material and human resources for the group, where the supporters enter into Syria and pledge allegiance to the group, and exit from Syria and carry out its threats to the European countries by operations within the Western depth, so the borderline in northern Syria, is the window of ISIS to the world.

media activist from the city of Raqqa, student at the Faculty of Law at the University of the Euphrates. Director of the Media Office of Raqqa, founding member of "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently", founding member of the documentary project of "Sound and Picture". I work in documenting violations committed by Assad's regime and ISIS group and extremist organizations inside the city of Raqqa, as I work in programming, design and visual media. I hold a certificate of coach in digital security, and a certificate of journalist coach, and a certificate in documenting violations against human rights, and a certificate in electronic advocacy. I underwent a training under the supervision of "Cyber-Arabs" in collaboration with the Institute for War and Peace "IWPR", about the management of electronic websites and leadership of advocacy campaigns, and a training of press photography under the supervision of the photojournalist "Peter Hove Olesen".