Living in Raqqa, these teenagers were on the ISIS’s “most wanted” list due to their continuous online campaign that peeled back the layers of the so called “perfect caliphate” and directly opposed ISIS’s propaganda. They became citizen journalists and exposed ISIS to the world for what they really are, frauds and evil men. The teenagers had no weapons only their cameras and computers to document and show the atrocities of ISIS in Syria.

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Most of their work now has this logo, which was adopted after ISIS killed many of their group members

ISIS initially attempted to shut down their efforts by restricting the internet in Raqqa and anyone that gained or retained access were hunted down. Members of ISIS drove around in vans looking for rogue wifi signals. Most of the group fled to Turkey as they felt that their lives were in danger. Even living in Turkey couldn’t protect some of them though, as ISIS’s network tracked some of the key members of the group down and ultimately killed them. Now, the surviving members of the group are living in hiding within Europe. They rely heavily on their contacts back in Syria to keep getting the message out about ISIS.

BBC documented their story in a five-part series, see the videos below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Featured image is Ibrahim Abdel Kader, one of the teenagers killed by ISIS. He was betrayed by someone he thought was his friend but ended up being an ISIS member. This “friend” arranged for and took part in his death. Image courtesy of Pri.org.