The True Story of ISIS’s Rise in Syria

As the authorities procrastinated, the city’s residents grew restless. An activist decided to take matters into his own hands. Abdul Hadi Bisher was an energetic member of the Revolutionary Youth Movement, a pro-democracy organization that had organized protests against Assad. He was imprisoned after shouting “freedom” in the streets – and in detention he was sodomized and simulated drowning. However, in the year since Manbij’s release, he had become disgusted with the city’s dysfunctional government, under which crime and inequality had become pervasive. He began to wonder if, to achieve justice for Musa, it was time to seek a bolder alternative.

Shortly before, a previously unknown group called ISISThe Islamic State of Iraq and Syria had opened an office in town and unfurled a black banner proclaiming “There is no god but God and Muhammad is its prophet.” ISIS the members gathered outside the building were heavily armed, but it was unclear to residents what their plans for Manbij were. Some members were foreigners from Egypt and Iraq, but others were from the countryside outside the city.

Abdul Hadi searched for a ISIS commander and explained the frustrations of Musa’s family. The commander listened patiently but replied that ISIS They could not interfere with the legal process in the city, because they were just one faction among many, unless the people themselves demanded it. If the public lost confidence in Manbij’s judicial institutions, then, and only then, could they ISIS to intervene.

On June 13, under a blazing sun, Abdul Hadi gathered with some two hundred residents for a rally, accompanied by Musa’s relatives. “The people want the execution of criminals! » they chanted as they marched towards the old cultural center. From the inside, ISIS the guards monitored the crowd. The door didn’t open.

Abdul Hadi led the procession toward Main Street. The demonstrators held banners denouncing crime and calling for public order. Men and women stood on their balconies, watching the crowds march by – not an unusual sight since the liberation, except that there were no longer any three-star revolutionary flags or banners calling for freedom. Instead, the word protesters shouted was “justice.” They wanted to be able to sleep soundly, to be able to send their children to school, to earn a living, to live simply. As the mass moved down Main Street, it grew. Soon there were six hundred people. The procession passed the headquarters of various factions of the Free Syrian Army, at which demonstrators hurled bitter insults for failing to protect the city. By late afternoon, the crowd had reached the central courthouse, where the five suspects had been detained, and were demanding that justice be served quickly.

Suddenly, three vehicles rushed towards the crowd. About ten ISIS the members jumped out – perhaps the whole group then in Manbij – and stationed themselves around the courthouse. THE ISIS The commander with whom Abdul Hadi had spoken approached the building’s guards and demanded entry. The police refused and ordered him to return.

The commander opened his jacket to reveal a bomb strapped to his chest. “I’ll use it!” he shouted. “I have no fear!”

The police backed down.

“The residents of Manbij and the relatives of the deceased demanded justice,” the commander said. “People have asked us to take care of this matter, and we are here to fulfill their wishes.” The stunned police opened the door. ISIS Members rounded up the suspects and stuffed them into their vehicles. As they left, cheers rose from the crowd.

Later, Abdul Hadi met several friends to discuss this astonishing episode. He praised the commander’s follow-up: he had done exactly what he had promised, waiting for residents to call for help. ISIS to intervene. These people are not afraid of anything, exclaimed a friend of Abdul Hadi. Maybe they were exactly what the city needed.

Locked in a room ISIS headquarters, the five suspects desperately tried to come up with a plan. It turned out that only three of them, including Manhal and Karoom, were present at the murder scene. One of the other two was Manhal’s brother, Ayman. He was only sixteen years old and knew nothing about the crime. Manhal paced around the room, on the verge of tears. Ayman, moved by his brother’s fate, offered to confess to the crime. Because he was a minor, he expected leniency.