Jihadists put American recruits to work in kitchens and hospitals

UNITED STATES: Few Americans who joined Islamic State ever saw combat, and most were relegated to menial tasks such as cooking and cleaning after failing to impress their jihadist recruiters, a study has found.

The inadequacies of United States recruits and their rapid disillusionment with the jihadist group is a striking feature of the first study of Americans who travelled to the battlefields of Syria and Iraq in the past six years.

The American contingent of Isis was far smaller than its European equivalent, with an estimated 300 Americans travelling to the Middle East to join the group, compared with 750 Britons and 900 French. The study puts this down to several factors, including fewer jihadist networks in the US, and greater powers under US federal law to prevent recruits from travelling.

Those who did reach the Middle East failed to integrate as well as other foreign fighters, the study by George Washington University noted.

‘‘For many of the returnees, life in the jihadist-held territory did not live up to their expectations. Living conditions were much harsher than they saw in the online magazines and videos, and the promises of companionship and camaraderie were rarely fulfilled.

‘‘Instead, cultural clashes, bit- ter infighting and suspicion among recruits and leadership abounded.

‘‘Many of the Americans had little to no combat experience and were assigned duties such as cleaning safe houses, cooking and caring for the sick and injured.’’

Mohamad Jamal Khweis, who was recruited online, ‘‘grew tired of running errands and became frustrated that he was not receiving any military training’’, the study said. He returned to the US and was jailed for 20 years.

Not all recruits aspired to combat duty. Warren Clark, a 33-yearold graduate of the University of Houston, sent Isis a copy of his CV with a covering letter applying for a job away from the front lines teaching English to students ‘‘in the Islamic State’’.

Clark was brought up in a middle-class family with military ties. He converted to Islam in about 2004, and became an avid consumer of violent YouTube videos and other radical material. He joined Isis and is still thought to be alive.

The study noted that although there had been 22 jihadist attacks on American soil since 2011, none had involved people returning from Syria and Iraq.

‘‘The risk of attacks from returning travellers is overshadowed by jihadists who never leave the US,’’ it said.

– The Times