Syrian observers: ISIS claim to kill Dutch deserters is a lie

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) contradicts the claim that eight Dutch jihadists were executed in Raqqa last week. According to the organization, these are false rumors and no foreign fighters were killed by terrorist organization Islamic State.

On Sunday the citizen journalist activist platform Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported that eight Dutch jihadists were executed and 75 others were arrested. This conflict started when a young Dutch jihadist was arrested for trying to convince others to leave the caliphate with him.

The SOHR now reports, based on "reliable sources", that this is incorrect information. According to the organization, there are not even that many Dutch jihadists in the region around the Syrian city. ISIS also no longer keep large groups of fighters from the same nationality together, after there was an incident between large groups of Uzbeks and Tunisians last year.

It is difficult to determine which of these organization is in possession of the correct information, as there is hardly any contact with the ISIS controlled area. Both the SOHR and Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently are generally considered to be reliable in their information about what is going on in Syria.

Should the executions turn out to be true, it will be a "wake-up call" for those thinking about going to Syria, according to Fatimazohra Hadjar, a youth worker who works with radicalized youths. He thinks that it may have resulted from a "clash of cultures". "The Dutch gave resistance, and that can not be done there. The ISIS top brooks no contradiction. This really is a wake-up call. People will now think ten times before they travel to Syria", he said to RTL Nieuws.