Eight Dutch ISIS members killed in desertion claim

Eight Dutch jihadists in Islamic State were executed on Friday in Raqqa, the ISIS declared caliphate. About 75 others were arrested by the terrorist organization, according to Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS). RBSS is a group of activists from Raqqa which works against ISIS from Turkey. The group has correspondents in the ISIS area and is generally considered reliable. According to news wire ANP, the Dutch jihadists were executed because of corrupt behavior, a term ISIS uses to punish anything they believe damages the caliphate. The Post Online reports that the conflict surrounds a Dutch jihadists that wanted to come home. He tried to convince a group of about 70 other Dutch fighters to return with him. One Dutch fighter was arrested and killed. The group of Dutch rebelled and killed an ISIS mediator, after which all Dutch were arrested. Eight of them were executed. According to NRC, the arrests and executions are the result of a conflict that started about a month ago. The group of Dutch gradually became isolated from the rest of the ISIS fighters. They still followed the ISIS rules, but lived at odds with the Iraqis in the terrorist organization. The situation escalated when an ISIS patrol went to the Dutch camp and arrested a very young Dutch jihadists. They accused him of wanting to escape and inciting others to follow him. The patrol returned the next day and arrested two more Dutch, beating one to death during an interrogation. "When the news reached the Dutch camp, they immediately went to the office where the interview took place." RBSS writes. "A firefight broke out." The information is difficult to verify, as virtually no other sources exist inside the ISIS-area. The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security Dick Schoof told NU.nl that they are aware of the reports but unable to confirm them. According to Schoof, the information fits well into the image the AIVD put together about the totalitarian regime inside ISIS territory. The terrorist organization itself has not said anything about it. And intelligence service AIVD would not respond to NRC on the matter.