is-book

"130,000 Christians have been evicted from the city, the Shia have fled, many people have
been murdered and yet the city is functioning and people actually like the stability that the
Islamic State has brought them."
Nonetheless, he says, there is an air of fear among residents: "Of course many of the them
are quite scared, because the punishment for breaking the Islamic State's strict rules is very
severe."
According to ISIS's leadership, the group's fighters managed to take Mosul with only about
300 men, even though more than 20,000 Iraqi army soldiers were stationed there when the
attack was launched.
Todenhoefer spoke with several ISIS fighters who took part in the operation.
"It took us about four days to take Mosul," a young fighter told him.
"So you were only about 300 men and you defeated 20,000 troops in four days"
Todenhoefer asked.
"Well, we didn't attack them all at once, we hit their front lines hard, also using suicide
attacks. Then the others fled very quickly," the fighter explained. "We fight for Allah, they
fight for money and other things that they do not really believe in."
Glow in their eyes
Todenhoefer told CNN the enthusiasm the ISIS militants showed was one thing that stood
out.
"When we stayed at their recruitment house, there were 50 new fighters who came every
day," Todenhoefer said. "And I just could not believe the glow in their eyes. They felt like
they were coming to a promised land, like they were fighting for the right thing.
"These are not stupid people. One of the people we met had just finished his law degree, he
had great job offers, but he turned them down to go and fight ... We met fighters from
Europe and the United States. One of them was from New Jersey. Can you imagine a man
from New Jersey traveling to fight for the Islamic State"
He went on to say that one of ISIS's main points of strength is their fighters' willingness --
even their will -- to die on the battlefield.
Todenhoefer met one somewhat overweight recruit in a "safe house" who said he wears a
suicide belt to every battle because he is too chubby to run away if he is cornered and
would choose to blow himself up, rather than be captured.
ISIS also has a track record of abusing, torturing and executing prisoners of war.
Todenhoefer was briefly able to speak to a Kurdish captive while in Mosul. The captive
claimed he had not been tortured, but Todenhoefer said he found that hard to believe.
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