Little is more telling about a group of people than their private communications. And for understanding the remnants of the Islamic State in Syria, there are few better sources than the Telegram chats of female members currently in Syrian detention camps. Cell phones are prohibited there, and the punishment for having one can be severe. Yet, text chains find their way.
Among the foreign fighter threads, Russian-language chats are the largest (with more than 400 members) and most active, with up to 200 new posts a day. To join the group chat, one has to be recommended by a current member. Like in many online chats, its members do not use their real names, but screen names range from Islamic kunyas like Umm Yusuf (mother of Yusuf) and Sumaya Uzbeki (Sumaya from Uzbekistan) to Islamic State-inspired nicknames like Muhajira (a foreign group member) and Prisoner_in_Dunya (prisoner in this life). Many screen names are openly pro-Islamic State, such as Rabbani_IS and even See_you_in_Dabiq, referring to a town in Syria where, according to the Islamic State, the last battle with infidels is supposed to take place. Profile pictures also range from neutral natural landscapes to lionesses (which Islamic State female members often compare themselves to) to black flags and weapons.
