German reporter Jürgen Todenhöfer, who spent 10 days in 'Islamic State', says: 'They know the Israeli army is too strong for them.'
By Gil Ronen
Israel's military is the only army in the world that ISIS fears, according to the only Western journalist whom the sadistic terror group has allowed into its territory.
Jürgen Todenhöfer, a former member of the German Parliament, spent ten days in ISIS territory in Iraq and Syria, accompanied by his son Frederic, and published a book about his experiences. He returned convinced that the group was “preparing the largest religious cleansing in history” but told Jewish News: “The only country ISIS fears is Israel. They told me they know the Israeli army is too strong for them.”
Todenhofer claimed that ISIS wants the West to send ground soldiers to the region, so that it can capture US and British soldiers. “They think they can defeat US and UK ground troops, who they say they have no experience in city guerrilla or terrorist strategies. But they know the Israelis are very tough as far as fighting against guerrillas and terrorists,” the journalist said.
“They are not scared of the British and the Americans, they are scared of the Israelis and told me the Israeli army is the real danger. 'We can’t defeat them with our current strategy,' [they said]. 'These people [the IDF] can fight a guerrilla war."
The terrorists were much more confident regarding western armies: “In Mosul there are 10,000 fighters living among 1.5 million people in 2,000 apartments, not in one place – so it would be difficult [for western soldiers] to fight them. ISIS fighters are ready to die in a war against western soldiers.”
Todenhofer claimed that ISIS says it accepts Jews and Christians if they pay the Jizya, a special tax – something like 600 dollars per year.
The journalist held Skype conversations for six months as a prelude to his trip. He said: “The only reason why I was allowed to go [was] because I had built up special relations with them. I asked journalists to come with me but nobody was prepared to go there. But I will never go back.”
The report belies the bravado exhibited by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Saturday in an audio recording, in which he said his jihadists are preparing to attack the Jewish state.
"The Jews thought we forgot Palestine and that they had distracted us from it. Not at all, Jews. We did not forget Palestine for a moment. With the help of Allah, we will not forget it."
"You will never find comfort in Palestine, Jews. Palestine will not be your land or your home, but it will be a graveyard for you."
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