Washington: Terrorists from Daesh are demanding sick notes from doctors in a bid to escape fighting on the front line, according to a new report by the US military.
“Now some militants are so disillusioned they are looking for any way they can to get out of the fighting,” a report by the US military’s think-tank, the Centre for Combating Terrorism (CTC) said.
The terrorists are reportedly struggling to keep fighter morale up as the group struggles to deal with territory losses, military pressure, financial problems and poor management.
“This was reflected on a wider level when [Daesh] issued a general amnesty for deserters at the beginning of October 2015. The personnel shortages were also evidenced by a [Daesh] document that emerged last year,” it said.
Issued in Deir Al Zor province in eastern Syria, the document indicates that a number of Daesh members had been seeking false medical reports from doctors in order to avoid front line duty, the Daily Mirror reported.
Much of the terror group’s problems with personnel stem from their inability to pay wages.
“The reasons for financial strain on [Daesh] overlap to a degree with the causes of problems of cohesion in [Daesh]’s ranks, such as reduced border access to Turkey, tougher border policies, and coalition air strikes,” the report said.
“These strikes have most recently targeted [Daesh] ‘cash storage’ points and the oil industry,” it added.
They have been forced to slash their fighters’ wages – and many have quit in disgust at their treatment, the report said.
Earlier this year it was reported that Daesh has been forced to cut the salaries of its murderous fighters by half.
The militants now get the equivalent of just 100 pounds a month because of “exceptional circumstances”, according to a document released by Bayt Al Mal, the treasury ministry of Daesh.
