One of the craziest things about ISIS is how many people it recruits
around the world
By one count
over 20,000 people have come to Iraq and Syria to fight their, most of them for ISIS
if that's correct it would be a historical record for the number of people who
volunteered for this kind of conflict.
why would anyone give up their life
to join in brutal vicious militant group,
one that's fighting on all sides and in the long run is facing a really long
shot of holding on to the territory it controls.
It's a critically important question because these foreign fighters
are major source of ISIS' strength. Expert: many other people coming have not had a sense of purpose.
Have not had dignity and respect
or something to do; a life Project. And now they have one.
one of the things that makes ISIS unique relative to terrorist organizations
that came before it is the degree of sophistication of their social media operation.
ISIS has invested a lot of effort in developing a very slick
social media presentation including sophisticated videos
with narratives and high production values.
Expert: they're clearly focused on the glory of the battle and
what the state has accomplished. Very inspirational
for these young man many of whom, not all, but most of whom
have not had a sense of purpose in life and have not had
any means to or earn a living to
get married to do the kind of things that they feel would bring them into an
adult life And now here's an opportunity to prove themselves as young men.
In February 2015 The Islamic State was able to shoot down a Jordanian F-16
They captured the pilot and
paraded before some of the bodies that is bombing resulted in.
Some of the dead. Just demonstrating that
Jordanian aircraft have brought death to
civilians and of course the constant imagery the charring.
And then they burn him.
This is about settling scores
and seeking justice. And so that
his terribly stimulating for these young men to see that.
ISIS' video portray them as saviors as heroes as people
resisting evil and violent regimes that oppress Muslim specifically Sunni Muslims.
That way, you motivate people who might want to join ISIS to go
travel around the world and fight for what they perceive as being justice.
That way ISIS, a violent,
terrible, brutal militant group ends up being seen as the good guys.
This isn't a small problem.
ISIS has recruited tens of thousands of people. This is made
their military empire their stronger and, because these foreign fighters have so much conviction,
often more radical more dangerous for the people that live there.
So these things are serious problems
and no one really knows how to solve them