The information came from a Daesh (ISIS / ISIL) defector who handed over some 11,000 personnel files to US television network NBC, although more than half were found to be duplicates. They include recruits from France, Germany, Lebanon, Britain, Australia and Canada.
NBC then passed 4,600 of the files, which are one of several large-scale leaks from within Daesh this year, to the national Combating Terrorism Center (CTC).
Earlier in January, German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung and broadcasters WDR and NDR independently reported that they had obtained “many dozens” of pages of documents detailing names, countries of origin, telephone numbers, and even sponsors and recruiters of terrorists with the Takfiri group.
The CTC, which is independent from the US military academy, said it has been able to confirm “approximately 98 percent” of the documents it received from NBC by cross referencing them with similar Daesh personnel records maintained by the US Department of Defense.
Application forms, completed by recruits in Arabic and often including notes from the assessors, refer to around 30 percent of the estimated 15,000 new recruits who entered Syria during 2013 and 2014.
The analysis provided not only a composite picture of the militants but also an insight into how Daesh is “attempting to vet new members, manage talent effectively ... and deal with a diverse pool of recruits,” said the report, which is available on the CTC website.
Daesh terrorists, who are in control of parts of land in Syria and Iraq, have been committing heinous crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.
Daesh Suspect Commits Suicide
According to a Wednesday report by Turkey's Dogan news agency, a Syrian national who was detained on suspicion of having links to the Daesh has committed suicide in a Turkish jail.
Nedim Bellus, 35, was arrested by Turkish police last week and imprisoned in Iskendurun, a town in Hatay province near the Syrian border, the report said.
His body was found hanging above his bed, said Dogan, adding that authorities had launched an investigation into his death.
Turkey is suspected of being one of the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri elements and facilitates their safe passage into Syria.
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