cta-image

Donate

Donations from readers like you allow us to do what we do. Please help us continue our work with a monthly or one-time donation.

Donate Today
cta-image

Subscribe Today

Subscribe to receive daily or weekly MEMRI emails on the topics that most interest you.
Subscribe
cta-image

Request a Clip

Media, government, and academia can request a MEMRI clip or other MEMRI research, or ask to consult with or interview a MEMRI expert.
Request Clip
memri
Sep 07, 2016
Share Video:

Kamandar Bakhtiar, Defector from ISIS-Khorasan: I Witnessed Beheadings and the Raping of Homosexuals

#5672 | 03:50
Source: Alaan TV (UAE)

Kamandar Bakhtiar, an Afghan police officer who joined ISIS-Khorasan and defected from its ranks three months later, recounted his experiences. In a segment aired on Alaan TV on September 7, Bakhtiar said: "I saw the worst things one can expect on the face of the Earth," including beheadings and the raping of homosexuals. He recounted that he was forced to flee his home following threats by ISIS-Khorasan. "The foreign fighters, especially the Pakistanis, are perpetrating horrific terrorist deeds," he said.


Following are excerpts


Kamandar Bakhtiar: "First of all, I have to say that I am very happy that I have left ISIS completely and joined the [forces of] the Afghan government six months ago. This was part of the campaign launched by Afghan MP Haji Zahir [Qadir], which led to anger and popular uprising against ISIS. I was angry and upset about the inhumane and un-Islamic actions that were ordered by our commanders [in ISIS]. These included the killing of innocent people, and so on. Therefore, I took advantage of the opportunity provided by the parliament for the fighters to return to their normal lives."


[...]


"I was with ISIS-Khorasan for three months in the Bandar region, under the command of Abdullah Makhati. Before joining ISIS, I had served as an Afghan police officer in Khost. When I came to my village for my usual vacation, I met Makhati, who asked me, after a while, to quit the police and join ISIS-Khorasan. I gave in to his request. My family had a religious background, and Abdullah served as the gate through which I joined ISIS. After a long conversation, he convinced me that the government is under the control of what he called 'the infidels.' To be honest, I was led astray by his eloquence, and so I left my job and joined ISIS."


"During the three months I spent in the ranks of ISIS, I saw the worst things one can imagine on the face of the Earth. They kill and behead innocent people, plunder the property of regular people, and they do the worst possible things, such as raping homosexuals. All these things run counter to Islam. I was very upset by their criminal deeds, but there was nothing I could do, until I heard of the campaign launched by MP Haji Zahir in my town."


[...]


"When I returned to my town and defected from ISIS, I received a warm welcome from my family and friends, who fired fireworks into the air to celebrate my return. At the same time, the members of ISIS-Khorasan kept threatening me, forcing me to flee the region with my family. A few days after I left, they stormed my village and burned down my home. Despite all the suffering, I am very glad that I left the terrorists, and joined the peace process led by the Afghan state."


[...]


"I call upon my colleagues who remain in the ranks of ISIS to leave these criminal groups and return to their normal lives. To people who sympathize with ISIS and wish to join it, I say: ISIS and Taliban have nothing to do with Islam, and they are uglier on the inside than they appear on the outside."


[...]


"The foreign fighters, especially the Pakistanis, are perpetrating horrific terrorist deeds, which are unacceptable in Islam, as well as in humanity in general. They crucify people in public squares, they plunder their property, and they kidnap people for a ransom of between $100,000 to $200,000. People who cannot pay such a large sum are slaughtered with a knife."


[...]

Share this Clip: