Taylor feels betrayed by NZ Government
Security
Mark Taylor feels ‘‘stabbed in the back’’ by the New Zealand Government.
The man dubbed the ‘‘Kiwi Jihadi’’ after going to Syria to join Islamic State (IS) is now giving media interviews after his apparent capture, and in his latest meeting with a journalist said he felt betrayed by New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said last week New Zealand would not make Taylor stateless but it was up to him to try to find consular support to make it home – the Government equivalent of telling him he was on his own.
In a new interview with Abu Dhabi-based news outlet The National Taylor said: ‘‘I asked the Government to help me. But then eventually, they just stabbed me in the back,’’ Taylor said from the Kurdish prison where he is being held. The 42-year-old, who burned his passport when he joined IS, said he had been expecting the Government to ‘‘take me home’’ after he left IS and surrendered because there was ‘‘no point’’ in staying and fighting to the death.
After a bloody four-year battle, IS – also known as Isis or Daesh – has been reduced by Us-led coalition fighters to a tiny patch of territory.
Taylor ‘‘seemed surprised’’ that help was not coming from home, according to Kiwi-born journalist Campbell Macdiarmid.
‘‘Gee, that’s pretty hard,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘The thing is, I thought New Zealand was going to give me a fair go,’’ he said. ‘‘New Zealand helped me before by getting me out of Pakistan.’’
The interview also revealed he wanted to reach out to his ‘‘Aunty Elizabeth’’ back home.
Taylor has been on the Government radar since at least 2011 and travelled to Syria in 2014. He said then he would remain in Syria until he achieved martyrdom. In the latest interview, he showed no remorse for calling for Anzac Day-linked attacks, nor for IS murders of Western hostages – and continued to defend the idea of slavery.