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Published Aug 29, 2024

1040: Tareena Shakil | An ISIS Recruit's Journey and Escape Part Two

Tareena Shakil reveals her gripping journey of escaping ISIS, the dangers she faced during her flight, and her efforts to rebuild her life post-escape while shedding light on online radicalization and the urgent need for de-radicalization programs.
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  • Escaping Raqqa

    Tareena recounts her decision to flee Raqqa and the immediate obstacles she faced. She describes the tense moments at the bus station, where she had to navigate interactions with ISIS fighters to secure travel permission. Despite the fear and uncertainty, she managed to get on the bus, attributing her success to a series of fortunate events.

    The ISIS fighter was like, can you just go and get on the bus. Like, just go, go. He shooed me away, so I went and got on the bus. I was like, what?

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    Her journey through Raqqa was fraught with danger, but her determination to escape kept her moving forward 1 2.

       

    Journey Through Danger

    The journey through ISIS-controlled territory was perilous, with multiple checkpoints and constant scrutiny. Tareena had to convince a taxi driver to take her to the border, even offering him extra money to ensure her passage. The driver, aware of the risks, brought his family along to avoid suspicion.

    His wife said in Arabic randomly to him, oh, yeah, there's turkey. I heard her, but it was like, you know, distant. Like, have I really heard that? So I said to her, I. What did you just say? She said, oh, yeah, yeah, that's turkey right there where them trees are. It's not Syria anymore.

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    Her escape was a combination of quick thinking and sheer luck, navigating through a landscape filled with danger 3 4.

       

    Crossing Borders

    Crossing into Turkey marked the final and most dangerous part of Tareena's escape. She describes the moment she saw Turkish soldiers and the relief she felt when they helped her cross the border. The Turkish soldiers initially mistook her for a Syrian but quickly realized her situation and offered assistance.

    He just kept saying to me, you're safe. Breathe. Breathe. I remember it so clearly. I was panting like a dog. He said, no, calm down. You're safe. No one can hurt you now.

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    This final act of crossing the border was filled with tension, but it ultimately led to her freedom 5 6.

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