Jihadists Embrace Social Media
Updated: 1:26pm UK, Wednesday 18 December 2013
By Sarah Hajibagheri, Sky News
This a holy war of the 21st century - where fighters are embracing social media to advertise their "five-star" jihad in Syria and blog their experiences in the hope of recruiting others.
Although Jihad is an ancient calling, it's being taken up by modern men who were born and bred in Britain.
This new breed of jihadi are entirely removed from the ascetic Islamists who flocked to Afghanistan in the 1980s and Bosnia in the 1990s.
They are no longer cut off from the outside world for months - they relax after a day's fighting on their iPads, chatting to friends in the UK or posting macho selfies.
They have left their lives and their families to fight against Bashar al Assad, but online on the front line, they are never far from home.
Just like their young counterparts in the UK, many are prolific users of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr and some have gained a large and loyal following, eager to hear daily updates from the battleground.
With many foreign fighters unable to speak Arabic, most of the posts are in English.
The Foreign Office says it is aware of at least 200 UK-linked individuals currently fighting in Syria, but Sky News has learnt the figure may be far greater.
The recruitment process has shifted away from mosques and into bedrooms. Many of the young men we spoke to were lured to Syria from online forums and websites. It's proving a fruitful PR exercise as an increasing number of Western fighters have been drawn to the region.
They come as individuals, rather than groups - often via Turkey, which is just a cheap and short flight away.
One fighter with a prominent online profile has been dubbed a jihadi 'Agony Uncle' after hosting question and answer sessions with would-be volunteers.
Recently an increasing number of questions on these sites are being posted by women eager to join the fight.
However, one by one, these social media accounts are falling silent, as these men are killed in combat.
The family of Brit Ifthekar Jaman - who gained notoriety online after his blog went viral - confirmed he had died in Syria on Tuesday.
He lived in Southsea, Portsmouth, before flying to Turkey in May, and making his way across the border to Syria to wage jihad.
In one of his last tweets, the 23-year-old wrote: "I can tell you that I haven't spoke to one muhajir who wants to return."
For these young men, leaving home to wage jihad abroad is clearly a big decision - but ultimately, for most it will be a fatal one.
:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.
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