An alleged U.S. citizen and Islamic State member told Kurdish television that he joined the terrorist organization for a girl, though he now claims he does not share the views of ISIS and wants to return home.
Mohamad Jamal Khweis was captured by Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq earlier this week, though some earlier reports claimed the apprehension took place in late February. Khweis, a 26-year-old who is supposedly from Virginia, said he attended high school in the U.S. and received a college degree in criminal justice. He said he left for Europe in December 2015 and eventually made his way to Turkey, where he met a girl. She told him she was from Mosul, a city in northern Iraq that has been under ISIS control since June 2014. The smitten Khweis decided to follow his heart, and went with his new paramour to the Islamic State.
“She knows somebody who could take us from Turkey to Syria and then from Syria to Mosul, so I decided to go with her,” said Khweis in an exclusive interview with Kurdistan 24 Television.
The couple coordinated with the woman’s sister, the wife of an ISIS member, to take a bus to the Turkish border and then a taxi into Syria. Upon arriving into ISIS territory, Khweis was housed with other foreigners entering the so-called caliphate. His identification was taken from him and he was given the nickname ‘Abu Omar.’ He was then sent to Mosul where he was exposed to ISIS indoctrination.
“There was an imam who taught us the sharia and the religion,” said Khweis. “I didn’t complete the whole sharia. I didn’t agree with their ideology and that’s when I wanted to escape.”
Apparently, life for Khweis in the caliphate was not as glamorous and romantic as he had thought it would be.
“Our daily life was prayer, eating and learning about the religion for eight hours,” said Khweis. “It is not like Western countries. It is very strict and no smoking there. There are a lot of foreign fighters walking around with weapons, and many are from Central and south Asia.”
After about a month of life under the harsh rule of the caliphate, Khweis apparently came to his senses and decided he wanted to leave.
“I made a bad decision to go with the girl and go to Mosul. At the time I made a decision to go because I wasn’t thinking straight, and on the way there I regretted — I wanted to go back,” said Khweis.
He would eventually find a man who said he could get him out of Mosul. Khweis decided since the Kurds are on good terms with the U.S., surrendering to them would be his best bet for getting home.
“I wanted to go to the Kurds’ side because I know that they are good with the Americans. And I decided to make my journey to go and meet with the Kurds. And when I met with the Kurds, they treated me very well. And I am happy I made that decision,” he said.
Khweis’ uncle Kamal Khweis confirmed it was his nephew who was captured by the Kurds, and has said Mohamad “is not with those bad people.”
Khweis concluded his interview with a message to the U.S.
“My message to the American people is that life in Mosul is really very bad. The people who control Mosul don’t represent a religion. Daesh [ISIS] does not represent a religion. I don’t see them as good Muslims.”
It is unknown as to whether or nto Khweis will be prosecuted by the U.S., however, a U.S. Army spokesman said Wednesday that there were no plans for the military to interview him as of yet.
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