Journalist Who Spent 10 Days With ISIS: Israel Only Country They Fear
(AP)
Tuesday, 29 Dec 2015 12:25 PM
ISIS fears just one country, a German journalist who spent 10 days in territory controlled by the terrorists, and that is Israel.
"They told me they know the Israeli army is too strong for them," the journalist, Jurgen Todenhofer, told Jewish News, a British newspaper.
Todenhofer, the author of the book, "My Journey Into the Heart of Terror: Ten Days in the Islamic State" is the only Western journalist who was allowed to enter the territory under the terror group's control, returned from behind the lines saying that ISIS is "preparing the largest religious cleansing in history," while having a healthy fear of the Israeli army.
A former member of the German Parliament, Todenhofer said in the interview, published over the weekend, that ISIS wants to lure the United States and Britain in to put boots on the ground so they can capture the soldiers.
"They think they can defeat U.S. and UK ground troops, who they say they have no experience in city guerrilla or terrorist strategies," he said. "But they know the Israelis are very tough as far as fighting against guerrillas and terrorists."
The Israeli army, though, can fight a guerrilla war, said Todenhofer, and "they are scared of the Israelis and told me the Israeli army is the real danger. We can't defeat them with our current strategy. These people [the IDF] can fight a guerrilla war."
In Mosul alone, there are 10,000 fighters who live among 1.5 million people and are spread out in about 2,000 apartments, Todenhofer continued.
"It would be difficult [for western soldiers] to fight them," he said. "ISIS fighters are ready to die in a war against Western soldiers."
Earlier this month, ISIS issued a warning to Israel, saying that "not one Jew will be left in Jerusalem or around it. We will continue until we eradicate this disease from the world."
Todenhofer, though, said ISIS considers all other religions except for their own to be enemies.
"They say Jews and Christians are accepted but must pay the Jizya, a special tax, something like $600 per year," said Todenhofer. "They told them they could stay in Raqqa and Mosul, but more than 100,000 Christians preferred to leave."
However, ISIS soldiers kill all the Shia Muslims they can, he said.
"I asked them if they were prepared to kill every Shia Muslim, and they scoffed: '150 million or 500 million, we don't care, it's only a technical problem for us. We are ready to do that.'"
The main enemies are Western Muslims who are part of democracies, said Todenhofer, as they vote to give people, not Allah, the power to make laws.
ISIS is seeking to take over the Middle East, except for Israel, in its first stage, and then move on to the West.
"They are a very strong danger for Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Libya, while the West will be subjected to big acts of terrorism instead of a full blown ISIS war because they say they don't want too many battles at the same time," Todenhofer said.
Todenhofer said he built up special relations with ISIS through Skype for six months before making the trip, but now vows "I will never go back," the paper reports.
"They told me they know the Israeli army is too strong for them," the journalist, Jurgen Todenhofer, told Jewish News, a British newspaper.
Todenhofer, the author of the book, "My Journey Into the Heart of Terror: Ten Days in the Islamic State" is the only Western journalist who was allowed to enter the territory under the terror group's control, returned from behind the lines saying that ISIS is "preparing the largest religious cleansing in history," while having a healthy fear of the Israeli army.
"They think they can defeat U.S. and UK ground troops, who they say they have no experience in city guerrilla or terrorist strategies," he said. "But they know the Israelis are very tough as far as fighting against guerrillas and terrorists."
The Israeli army, though, can fight a guerrilla war, said Todenhofer, and "they are scared of the Israelis and told me the Israeli army is the real danger. We can't defeat them with our current strategy. These people [the IDF] can fight a guerrilla war."
In Mosul alone, there are 10,000 fighters who live among 1.5 million people and are spread out in about 2,000 apartments, Todenhofer continued.
"It would be difficult [for western soldiers] to fight them," he said. "ISIS fighters are ready to die in a war against Western soldiers."
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Todenhofer, though, said ISIS considers all other religions except for their own to be enemies.
"They say Jews and Christians are accepted but must pay the Jizya, a special tax, something like $600 per year," said Todenhofer. "They told them they could stay in Raqqa and Mosul, but more than 100,000 Christians preferred to leave."
However, ISIS soldiers kill all the Shia Muslims they can, he said.
"I asked them if they were prepared to kill every Shia Muslim, and they scoffed: '150 million or 500 million, we don't care, it's only a technical problem for us. We are ready to do that.'"
The main enemies are Western Muslims who are part of democracies, said Todenhofer, as they vote to give people, not Allah, the power to make laws.
ISIS is seeking to take over the Middle East, except for Israel, in its first stage, and then move on to the West.
Todenhofer said he built up special relations with ISIS through Skype for six months before making the trip, but now vows "I will never go back," the paper reports.
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