Testimony of Moroccans returning from the hell of ISIS

   written by: abdelhak belachgar and translating by us 

The stories of young Moroccans returning from the Syrian battlefront are almost identical. Most of them are under 30 years old, come from low-income families, and have modest educational levels. Some were newly religious before traveling to Syria, while others had previously served sentences under the anti-terrorism law. After leaving prison, they faced a merciless life, lacking rehabilitation and reintegration, struggling to earn a living, and facing ongoing security harassment. They decided to travel to Syria.

What they have in common is their enthusiasm for jihad and their influence on the situation in Syria, reflected in the incitement against the Syrian regime broadcast on Arab satellite channels. Social media also features calls to join the front lines, images of battles glorifying heroism, and stories of “brave heroes.” Not to mention the general trend in Morocco, as in many Arab and Western countries, condemns the massacres committed by the Syrian regime against its own people.

Most of them traveled through recruitment networks operating in various Moroccan cities, providing them with funding and ensuring their easy access to Syria via Turkey. Upon arrival, most of them joined the Sham al-Islam Movement, founded by Moroccan Ibrahim Benchekroun, who was killed in combat last April. Some also spent time with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

In this file, three Moroccan fighters, young returnees, tell their stories: Safwan Chico, Yassin Amghan, and Jawad Al-Alawi. Both Safwan and Amghan were initially sentenced to five years in prison. Despite being arrested together, they traveled, at different times, to the front lines in Syria in late 2013, accompanied by their wives. Al-Alawi, however, left his wife and two daughters in the Bouknadel neighborhood and left to fight.

Safwan recounts the full story of his journey: he chose to travel to China, then to Turkey. He then asked his wife to follow him to Turkey, where he welcomed her and transported her with him into Syria. He recounts how he participated in paramilitary training operations and his living conditions. He also talks about the developments in Syria, which led to infighting among Islamist groups, and his decision to move his wife to Turkey with Yassin Amghan and his wife. He also talks about how the Turkish authorities arrested them and sent them to Indonesia, where they were extradited to Morocco. Amghan, in turn, recounts how he traveled to Syria immediately after his marriage and how he became a media official for the Sham al-Islam organization, filming battles, posting them on social media, and communicating with young Moroccans who wanted to come to Syria. As for Jawad al-Alawi, he recounts how he was addicted to drugs before becoming religiously committed, marrying, and having two daughters. He then decided to leave his family and travel to join the Sham al-Islam movement. He spent about two months there before deciding to return to Morocco, where he was arrested at Mohammed V Airport. Morocco is confronting returnees with a security logic, says lawyer Khalil Al-Idrissi, a lawyer with the Rabat Bar Association and the defense attorney for a number of returnees. This approach is not differentiated between ISIS members and others, nor does it consider the circumstances that led them to Syria, nor does it consider rehabilitation and integration plans. Hassan Al-Kattani, a Salafi sheikh, agrees. He confirms the spread of ISIS ideology among young people, but he rules out the threat these returnees pose to Morocco. This contradicts local and international reports warning of their danger.

Safwan Chico: From the Hell of Syria to the Prisons of Morocco

I grew up in a conservative family, but I was not consistent in performing my prayers. As I met some Salafists, I began participating in protests organized by the Joint Committee for the Defense of Islamic Detainees in Casablanca and Meknes. During these protests, I met people like Hussein Abrat and Osama Boutaher. I also formed relationships with former detainees like Yassin Amghan, Al-Bashir Mqtana’, Al-Mahdi Al-Miliani, Mohamed Mazouz, and others. All of them traveled to Syria, and I met them there before returning to Morocco. Moroccan authorities arrested me and sentenced me to five years in prison.

The idea of ​​jihad began to haunt me as I watched the news broadcast on Arab satellite channels about the killing of the Syrian people by the Assad regime. I also began reading news about Syria online. Gradually, I began to be convinced to join the jihad front in Syria. I first suggested to my friend Bashir Muqanna’, “Abu Osama,” that we travel together to Syria. He told me he was ready to travel for jihad and gave me two phone numbers for Ibrahim Benchekroun, “Abu Ahmed,” the founder of the Sham al-Islam Movement.

The Road to Jihad Begins in China

To reach Syria, I decided to travel to China. I misled my family into believing I intended to travel to China for business purposes, to bring electronic equipment and mobile phone accessories. I chose this route because on my return journey I would pass through Turkey, from where I would enter Syria.

When I arrived in China, I stayed in the city of Gaouanzo, at the home of my brothers Abdullah and Abdul Ghafour, who had also joined the Sham al-Islam Movement in Syria via China. I spent 10 days in China, then boarded a plane bound for Turkey. I arrived at Istanbul International Airport, from where I traveled to Antakya. When I arrived, I contacted Ibrahim Benchekroun through the numbers given to me by Bashir Maskan, “Abu Osama.” I was able to enter Syria, specifically the Atara police station in Latakia, which is a police headquarters affiliated with the Syrian regime. I stayed there for two weeks without performing any activity because I was suffering from an injury to my leg. This was at a time when the rest of the volunteers at the station were conducting paramilitary and endurance training. The battalion I joined was led by Ibrahim Benchekroun, assisted by Mohammed Al-Salmiani Al-Alami, “Abu Hamza.” It operated under the banner of Jabhat Al-Nusra, which was led by Abu Ayman Al-Iraqi, the emir of the Latakia region, affiliated with Abu Mohammed Al-Fateh Al-Julani, the general emir of Jabhat Al-Nusra.

“Ghamam”, we stayed there for a few days during which we did not participate in any training or development activities, which made me consider returning to Morocco, where I resorted to a trick to obtain my passport. I asked the administrative official of the Sham al-Islam Battalion, nicknamed “Abu Imran”, to hand me my passport, claiming that I would travel to Turkey to meet my brother Fouad, who would help me complete the residency paperwork in Turkey so that my wife and family members could visit me. Once I obtained the passport, I contacted a Syrian smuggler named “Hamid”, who loaded me into a four-wheel drive vehicle and transported me outside of Syria. From there, I managed my affairs until I arrived at Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul. There, my wife booked me a return flight to Morocco, where I arrived at Mohammed V Airport on March 18, 2014. Immediately upon landing, security authorities arrested me and placed me in police custody, which was extended for 96 hours. I was then brought before the Attorney General at the Rabat Court of Appeal on March 26, where I was prosecuted on charges of “forming a criminal gang, preparing to commit terrorist acts as part of a collective project aimed at seriously undermining public order through intimidation, terror, and violence. I was also prosecuted on charges of belonging to a banned religious group.”