IS militants desperate for doctors

An Islamic State (IS) militant has made a desperate appeal for medics to join the extremist group as many of its members die due to lack of proper treatment.

"When the war broke out in Syria, many doctors fled to live in Türkiye or other countries. This left a shortage of doctors to treat the wounded," Omar Hussain, 27, lamented in an open letter.

British rebels said medical students were forced to train others in how to administer treatment. Many non-professional rebels were also reluctant to assist in surgeries, leading to many errors in the treatment process.

Omar Hussain. Photo: Telegraph

"You don't have to be an expert in your field to make a difference here, even those who have just learned their craft for a year or two are very useful," Hussain wrote. "You may get high salaries in the West but what is behind those big rewards? The salaries here may not be as much as you get in the West but do we live for this life or for the future? Is money more important than the lives of your Muslim brothers?"

According to the website Vocativ, the letter was posted online in April last year but was only recently translated and circulated on online forums.

The Foreign Office said at least 17 British doctors studying at the Sudan University of Medicine and Technology (UMST) had joined IS. Another group of five is believed to have crossed into IS-held territory in March last year with the group.

Both groups were recruited by Mohammed Fakhri, 25, who studied medicine but also acted as a recruiter of British doctors and nurses for IS.

Although the extremist group has lured many doctors from countries such as Australia, Russia, Libya, and Saudi Arabia, the medical team treating IS militants is still severely lacking.

Fakhri, who is believed to be living in the IS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, once admitted this: "IS realizes that in areas like medicine, non-Muslims are more qualified."

The British Foreign Office recently sent a team, including London Muslim leader Luqman Ali, to Sudan to persuade doctors and nurses not to follow IS’s call. Some parents have also withdrawn their children from UMST.

Hussain, who lived with his mother and worked as a security guard for a major supermarket chain in the UK before fleeing to Syria, made headlines last year after posting pictures of his daily life, saying he was lonely and expressing his desire to have a wife.

Known as the "loneliest warrior", Hussain is often used by IS leaders in propaganda activities, luring women to join IS.

According to VNE