ISIS Terrorist Roster A Game Changer

Global Jihad: The British press has obtained from an ISIS defector the names of about 22,000 terrorists who have joined ISIS, including dozens of Americans and other Westerners. The data could prove a turning point in the war against ISIS.

Intelligence sources in Germany and the U.K. have already confirmed the authenticity of the thumb-drive files, which include the addresses and phone numbers of Islamic State recruits from 51 countries, including the U.S.

Recruits were also asked to give their blood types, mothers’ maiden names and “level of Shariah understanding,” among other information, according to Sky News, which broke the story.

The treasure trove of intel could, for the first time, give the West the jump on the most virulent terrorist enemy ever faced. Based in war-torn Syria and Iraq, ISIS has operated largely in the shadows. Thanks to President Obama’s hasty withdrawal, the U.S. no longer has boots on the ground in Iraq to cultivate informants and collect human intelligence to infiltrate the upper echelons of the terror group.

If U.S. intelligence analysts verify that the contents in the files check against data they have on suspects, the benefits could be tremendous, including:

1. Giving the U.S. and its allies a better handle on the size of ISIS forces and the scope of the caliphate’s global reach

2. Helping Homeland Security and FBI better ID so-called homegrown ISIS terrorists who have returned to America and disrupt terror plots in the pipeline

3. Buttressing evidence in the trials of several citizens already facing charges related to terrorist activities

4. Aiding in the investigation of family members, friends and associates of ISIS recruits, as well as clerics at local mosques, and the mapping of the entire ISIS network in America

5. Shedding light on the methods ISIS uses to recruit jihadists

6. Helping the CIA sort out previously unidentified figures in the ISIS command structure and work its way up the terror group’s inner circle, where it can narrow drone targeting and decapitate the ISIS leadership

If confirmed, the files are a goldmine. Of course, their value ultimately depends on how — or if — President Obama exploits it.

Read the rest of this IBD editorial HERE.

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