ລິ້ງ ສຳຫລັບເຂົ້າຫາ

ວັນເສົາ, ໐໗ ທັນວາ ໒໐໒໔

ຄົນອາເມຣິກັນ ທີ່ໂຕນໜີ ຈາກກຸ່ມລັດອິສລາມ ກ່າວວ່າ ລາວໄດ້ຕັດສິນໃຈຜິດ


ທ້າວ Mohamad Jamal Khweis ທີ່ໄດ້ໂຕນໜີ ຈາກກຸ່ມລັດອິສລາມ.
ທ້າວ Mohamad Jamal Khweis ທີ່ໄດ້ໂຕນໜີ ຈາກກຸ່ມລັດອິສລາມ.

ຄົນ​ອາ​ເມຣິກັນ​ຜູ້​ນຶ່ງ​ທີ່​ກ່າວ​ວ່າ ລາວ​ໄດ້​ໂຕນ​ໜີ​ຈາກ​ກຸ່ມ​ລັດອິສ
ລາມຍອມຮັບ​ວ່າລາວ​ໄດ້​ຄິດ​ຜິດເວລາ​ລາວ​ຕັດສິນ​ໃຈ​ໄປ​ຮ່ວມ
ກັບ​ກຸ່ມ​ຫົວ​ຮຸນ​ແຮງ​ດັ່ງກ່າວ​ໃນ​ພາກ​ຕາ​ເວັນ​ອອກ​ກາງ.

ທ້າວ Mohamad Jamal Khweis ກ່າວ​ໃນ​ການ​ໃຫ້​ສຳພາດ
​ຢູ່​ທີ່​ເຂດ Kurdistan ຂອງ​ອີຣັກວ່າລາວ​ໄດ້​ຕັດສິນ​ໃຈ​ຜິດທີ່​ໄດ້
​ເດີນທາງ​ໄປ​ເມືອງ Mosul ກັບ​ແມ່ຍິງ​ຄົນ​ນຶ່ງລາວ​ໄດ້​ຄິດ​ຜິດ​ໄປ
​ແລ້ວ.

ທ້າວ Khweis ອາຍຸ 26 ປີ ​ໄດ້​ເຂົ້າມອບ​ຕົວ​ຕໍ່​ພວກ​ນັກ​ລົບ Pe-
shmerga ຂອງ​ຊາວ​ເຄີ​ດ ​ໃກ້​ກັບ​ເມືອງ​ Sinja ​ໃນ​ພາກ​ເໜືອ​ອີ
​ຣັກ ​ໃນ​ອາທິດ​ນີ້ ​ແລະ​ຜູ້ກ່ຽວໄດ້​ຖືກ​ກຳລັງ​ຊາວ​ເຄີ​ດຄວບ​ຄຸມ​ຕົວ​ໄວ້​ຕັ້ງ​ແຕ່​ວັນ​ຈັນ​ແລ້ວນີ້
​ເປັນ​ຕົ້ນມາ.

ທ້າວ Khweis ​ເກີດ​ຢູ່​ທີ່​ສະຫະລັດແລະ​ເຕີບໃຫຍ່​ຂຶ້ນ​ມາ​ໃນ​ເຂດ​ຊານ​ເມືອງ​ຂອງ​ນະຄອນ
ຫຼວງວໍ​ຊິງ​ຕັນ ​ໄດ້​ຖືກ​ສຳພາດ​ໂດຍ​ໂທລະພາບ​ຊ່ອງ 24 ຂອງຊາວ​ເຄີ​ດຢູ່​ທີ່ເມືອງ Irbil ​ໃນ
​ພາກ​ເໜືອ​ຂອງປະ​ເທດ​ອີຣັກ.

ທ້າວ Khweis ​ໄດ້​ເວົ້າພາສາ​ອັງກິດ ​ໃນ​ລະຫວ່າງ​ການ​ໃຫ້​ສຳພາດ ຊຶ່ງ​ໄດ້​ຖືກ​ຕັດ​ລົງ​ ໃຫ້​ເຫລືອ​ຢູ່ 16 ນາທີ ທີ່​ບໍ່​ໄດ້​ກ່າວ​ເຖິງການ​ສູ້​ລົບ ​ຫຼື​ຄວາມ​ຮຸນ​ແຮງ​ໃດໆ ​ແຕ່​ໄດ້​ເປີດ​ເຜີີຍ​ໃຫ້​
ຮູຸ້ກ່ຽວ​ກັບ​ພື້ນຖານ ​ຂອງ​ຊາຍ​ໜຸ່ມ​ຄົນ​ນີ້ ​ແລະ​ການ​ເດີນທາງຂອງ​ຜູ້ກ່ຽວ​ ທີ່​ໄດ້​ເລີ້ມມາ​ແຕ່​
ເດືອນ​ທັນວາ ​ເວລາ​ລາວ​ອອກ​ເດີນທາງ​ ໄປ​ຮ່ວມ​ກຸ່ມຫົວ​ຮຸນ​ແຮງ​ຈັດ​ດັງ​ກ່າວ.

ການ​ໃຫ້​ສຳພາດ​ສະ​ແດງ​ໃຫ້​ເຫັນ​ວ່າ ໜຸ່ມ​ນ້ອຍ​ທີ່​ມີ​ໜວ​ດ​ເຄົາໃນຊຸດ​ສົ້ງສີກາ​ກີ​ແລະ​ເສື້ອ​
ແຂນ​ສັ້ນ ຄໍ​ມົນ ສີຂີ້​ເທົ່າ​ອອກ​ຟ້າ ຄົນນີ້ ​ໄດ້​ເວົ້າຈາ​ໂອ້​ລົມ​ແບບ​ງຽບໆ​ ແລະບາງ​ຄັ້ງກໍ​ຍິ້ມ
ຫົວ.

ການ​ໃຫ້​ສຳພາດ​ສະ​ແດງ​ໃຫ້​ເຫັນ​ວ່າ ໜຸ່ມ​ນ້ອຍ​ທີ່​ມີ​ໜວ​ດ​ເຄົາໃນຊຸດ​ສົ້ງສີກາ​ກີ​ແລະ​ເສື້ອ​
ແຂນ​ສັ້ນ ຄໍ​ມົນ ສີຂີ້​ເທົ່າ​ອອກ​ຟ້າ ຄົນນີ້ ​ໄດ້​ເວົ້າຈາ​ໂອ້​ລົມ​ແບບ​ງຽບໆ​ ແລະບາງ​ຄັ້ງກໍ​ຍິ້ມ
ຫົວ.

ທ້າວ Khweis ກ່າວ​ວ່າ ລາວ​ຮຽນ​ກ່ຽວ​ກັບ​ຂະ​ບວນການ​ຍຸຕິ​ທຳ​ທາງ​ອາຍາ​ຢູ່​ທີ່ມະຫາວິທະ
ຍາ​ໄລ ​ແຕ່​ບໍ່​ໄດ້​ບອກ​ໃຫ້​ຮູ້​ວ່າ​ຢູ່​ໃສ.​ ພໍ່​ແມ່​ຂອງ​ລາວ​ທີ່​ເປັນ​ຊາວ​ປາ​ແລ​ສ​ໄຕ​ນ໌​ໄດ້ທຳ​ມາ​ຫາ​
ກິນຢູ່​ທີ່​ເມືອງ Alexandria ​ໃນ​ລັດ​ເວີ​ຈີ​ເນຍ. ໜຸ່ມ​ນ້ອຍ​ຄົນ​ນີ້ ຍັງໄດ້​ໄປ​ວັດ​ອິສລາມ ​ແຕ່​ບໍ່​
ແມ່ນ​ເລື້ອຍໆ​ ​ແລະ​ໃນ​ການ​ໃຫ້​ສຳພາດ​ນັ້ນ ບໍ່​ໄດ້ສະ​ແດງໃຫ້​ເຫັນ​ວ່າ ​ແມ່ນ​ຫຍັງ​ໄດ້​ດົນ​ໃຈ​
ໃຫ້​ຜູ້ກ່ຽວ​ອອກ​ເດີນທາງ​ໄປ​ຮ່ວມ​ກຸ່ມ​ຫົວ​ຮຸນ​ແຮງ​ຈັດ​ດັ່ງກ່າວ.

US IS Deserter
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An American who said he defected from the Islamic State group has admitted he "wasn't thinking straight" when he decided to join the militant group in the Middle East this year.

"I made a bad decision to go with [a] girl and go to Mosul. ... I wasn't thinking straight," Mohamad Jamal Khweis told an interviewer in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The 26-year-old surrendered to Kurdish peshmerga fighters near the northern Iraqi city of Sinjar this week, and has been held by them since Monday.

Khweis, who was born in the U.S. and grew up in a suburb of Washington, was interviewed by Kurdistan24 television in Irbil, a Kurdish city in northern Iraq. [[http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/bf92b765-a474-4f3b-8dcd-d90446a60f9c/EXCLUSIVE-interview-with-the-American-born-ISIS-fighter ]]

Khweis spoke English during the interview, which was edited down to a 16-minute version. It contains no mention of fighting or other violence, though it reveals some of the man's background and his travels since December, when he set oput to join the extremist group.

The interview shows a bearded young man in khaki pants and a short-sleeved, collarless gray-blue shirt, speaking calmly and occasionally smiling.

Khweis said he studied criminal justice while in college, though he did not say where. His parents, who are Palestinians, live in Alexandria, Virginia. The young man also attended mosques, "but not that often," he said, and the interview does not indicate what motivated him to set out to join the Islamic State.

In an interview with VOA earlier this week, a woman identified as Khweis's mother said the family "thought he was in Canada lately. We also know he has been traveling to Turkey."

After leaving the United States in mid-December, the alleged IS defector said he traveled from London to Amsterdam to Turkey, where he met an Iraqi woman and "we spent some time together."

The woman, whose sister was married to an IS fighter, arranged a trip for herself and Khweis by bus and taxi from Istanbul to Syria and then to Iraq, where they were separated.

Khweis said he lived in Iraq in a series of residences, most of which sheltered foreigners. In one, there were "a lot of Asians, Russians and people from the surrounding area, like Uzbekistan." He also mentioned Middle Eastern residents.

However, he noted, "During my whole trip there, I didn't meet any Americans."

Eventually, Khweis and other recruits began religious studies at "a house of worship" in the IS stronghold of Mosul. He said "a few Russians were in charge," but he may have been referring to IS recruits from Russia's republic of Chechnya, which has sent many recruits to join the Islamic State.

"There was an imam who taught us about sharia [law]," Khweis said. "Our daily life was basically prayer, eating and learning about the religion for about eight hours."

Khweis said he did not complete the full training program and "didn't agree with their ideology." He told his interviewer, "That's when I wanted to escape."

"It was pretty hard to live in Mosul. It's not like Western countries. It's very strict. There's no smoking," Khweis said during the interview, which also showed him puffing on a cigarette. "The lifestyle in Mosul was very difficultnot just for me, for everybody there. ... I stayed there for about a month."

"After things didn't work out," the young man said, "I didn't see myselfliving in that environment. I wanted to go back to America."

A friend helped arrange his travel from IS-held territory toward an area defended by Kurdish peshmerga fighters, and other contacts advised him how to reach the main road to the Iraqi town of Sinjar, under Kurdish control since November, in an area that has seen fighting between peshmerga and IS fighters since 2014.

"They told me which side [of the road] is Daesh side and which side is peshmerga, the Kurd side," Khweis said. "I wanted to go to the Kurd side because I know that they're good with the Americans."

After he surrendered. the Kurds "treated me very well, and I'm happy I made that decision."

In the video, Khweis denounced the Islamic State and summed up his experiences in Mosul: "My message to the American people is, the life in Mosul, it's really bad. The people [who] were controlling Mosul don't represent the religion. ... I don't see them as good Muslims."

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