Jan Mahmoud Yahya was an official translator for Isis when they led seven condemned men into the central al-Naim square in Raqqa. Arriving in Syria from Kyrgyzstan through a complex but highly organised system of Islamist recruitment and training, Yahya spoke calmly, sometimes smiling, even joking, in the Mezze military prison on the edge of Damascus. He had had time enough to reflect on what he had witnessed.

“A lot of ‘jihadi’ people saw these executions and one day I was beside the square when I saw lots of people and I asked some of them ‘What’s going on?’ They said there was going to be an execution.” We had asked the Syrian prison governor to remove the massive and grotesque cloth blindfold which Yahya was wearing when he was led into the room.

He blinked in the light and held out his feet to be shackled – the prison guards were fearful he would try to jump out of the window and escape – before the prison governor and his men left the room at our insistence.

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When we told Yahya he didn’t have to talk to us, that he could drink coffee or just chat, he said he wanted to talk. “The people in the square said that a man was to be executed for a sin, a man who had exploded a bomb in the square. But the bomb hadn’t killed anyone and they led six other men into the square. The first man admitted he had exploded the bomb and a fighter with a mask over his face read the death sentences and ordered them to kneel. There was a man behind each prisoner – seven executioners for seven men – and they each shot their prisoner in the back of the head. I thought it was right because a mufti had also read the sentence of death. After all, I was one of them.”

While Yahya says he never killed anyone, he was indeed ‘one of them’. A 19-year old from the Kyrgyz city of Osh in the Fergana Valley, he described how he took an oath of allegiance to Isis in 2013. “I was full of ‘jihadi’ ideas,” he said, and smiled in a self-deprecating way. Just how Yahya came to have these ideas – and how he was lured to Syria – proved a highly instructive story.

“I went to Egypt for studies in ‘sharia’ law at Al-Azhar [University] and I had been there a year and a half when a Sheikh, Mohamed Hassan, issued a ‘fatwa’ about a ‘jihad’ in Syria, and said that every Muslim should go to participate in it. He gave the students records and tapes containing videos that showed that the Syrian army kills people and rapes people and does brutal things to people and he said ‘You must go to make ‘jihad’ in Syria’. This filled my mind. He gave everyone $100 as a gift.”

Another student told Yahya to contact a man called Abu Mohamed Turkiya [Father of Mohamed from Turkey]. “I bought a ticket for $270 to fly to Ataturk Airport in Istanbul where I was met by Abu Mohamed who was responsible for helping ‘jihadis’ go to Syria. He bought me a bus ticket to Atma on the other side of the border. It was a 13-hour trip. Abu Mohamed said to me that I would have no problems in Turkey – that there were many young men like me.”

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: The rise of Isis Show all 74 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: The rise of Isis 1/74 Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP 2/74 Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP 3/74 Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP 4/74 Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP 5/74 Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images 6/74 Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis 7/74 Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post 8/74 Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube 9/74 A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain 10/74 Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports 11/74 Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria 12/74 Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria 13/74 Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel 14/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province 15/74 Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf 16/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region 17/74 Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria 18/74 Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul 19/74 Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks 20/74 Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar 21/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 22/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 23/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 24/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 25/74 Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 26/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair 27/74 Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq 28/74 Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq 29/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters 30/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province 31/74 Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border 32/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria 33/74 Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border 34/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria 35/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria 36/74 Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa 37/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict 38/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad 39/74 Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul 40/74 Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf 41/74 Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province 42/74 Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far 43/74 A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government 44/74 Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants 45/74 Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair 46/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region 47/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP 48/74 Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters 49/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA 50/74 Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP 51/74 Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty 52/74 Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty 53/74 Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul 54/74 Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis 55/74 Iraq Al-Qa’ida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said 56/74 Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said 57/74 Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province 58/74 Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers 59/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause 60/74 Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 61/74 Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 62/74 Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 63/74 Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 64/74 Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News 65/74 Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News 66/74 Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News 67/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport 68/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them 69/74 Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others 70/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province 71/74 Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah 72/74 Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images 73/74 Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images 74/74 Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qa’ida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work 1/74 Isis fighters Fighters of the Islamic State wave the group's flag from a damaged display of a government fighter jet following the battle for the Tabqa air base, in Raqqa, Syria AP 2/74 Isis fighters Fighters from Islamic State group sit on their tank during a parade in Raqqa, Syria AP 3/74 Isis fighters Fighters from the Islamic State group pray at the Tabqa air base after capturing it from the Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria AP 4/74 Isis fighters Fighters from extremist Islamic State group parade in Raqqa, Syria AP 5/74 Isis kidnapping A video uploaded to social networks shows men in underwear being marched barefoot along a desert road before being allegedly executed by Isis Getty Images 6/74 Isis kidnapping Haruna Yukawa after his capture by Isis 7/74 Isis kidnapping Khalinda Sharaf Ajour, a Yazidi, says two of her daughters were captured by Isis militants Washington Post 8/74 Isis fighters Spokesperson for Isis Vice News via Youtube 9/74 A pro-Isis leaflet A pro-Isis leaflet handed out on Oxford Street In London Ghaffar Hussain 10/74 Isis fighters Isis Jihadists burn their passports 11/74 Isis controls Syrian Aid A man collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria 12/74 Isis controls Syrian Aid A woman collecting aid administered by Isis in Syria 13/74 Isis controls Syrian Aid Local civilians queue for aid administered by Isis. Since it declared a caliphate the group has increasingly been delivering services such as healthcare, and distributing aid and free fuel 14/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces detain men suspected of being militants of the Isis group in Diyala province 15/74 Iraq crisis Mourners carry the coffin of a Shi'ite volunteer from the brigades of peace, who joined the Iraqi army and was killed during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Samarra, during his funeral in Najaf 16/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Shiite Turkmen family fleeing the violence in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, arrives at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Arbil, in Iraq's Kurdistan region 17/74 Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi A photograph made from a video by the jihadist affiliated group Furqan Media via their twitter account allegedly showing Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon during Friday prayers at a mosque in Mosul. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared an Islamist caliphate in the territory under the group's control in Iraq and Syria 18/74 Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul 19/74 Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq Smoke and debris go up in the air as Shiite's Al-Qubba Husseiniya mosque explodes in Mosul. Images posted online show that Islamic extremists have destroyed at least 10 ancient shrines and Shiite mosques in territory - the city of Mosul and the town of Tal Afar - they have seized in northern Iraq in recent weeks 20/74 Islamic extremists destroying mosques in Iraq A bulldozer destroys Sunni's Ahmed al-Rifai shrine and tomb in Mahlabiya district outside of Tal Afar 21/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces celebrate after clashes with followers of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi, in front of his home in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 22/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 23/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi at his home after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 24/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces arrest a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 25/74 Iraq crisis A vehicle burns in front of a home of a follower of Shiite cleric Mahmoud al-Sarkhi after clashes with his followers in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad 26/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman holds her exhausted son as over 1000 Iraqis who have fled fighting in and around the city of Mosul and Tal Afar wait at a Kurdish checkpoint in the hopes of entering a temporary displacement camp in Khazair 27/74 Iraqi refugees Displaced Iraqi women hold pots as they queue to receive food during the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, at an encampment for displaced Iraqis who fled from Mosul and other towns, in the Khazer area outside Irbil, north Iraq 28/74 Isis fighters in Syria A militant Islamist fighter waving a flag, cheers as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic "caliphate" after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq 29/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province Reuters 30/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters travel in a vehicle as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province 31/74 Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade with a missile in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from an al-Qaida splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border 32/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria 33/74 Isis fighters in Syria Fighters from the Isis group during a parade in Raqqa, Syria. Militants from the splinter group held a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria, displaying U.S.-made Humvees, heavy machine guns, and missiles captured from the Iraqi army for the first time since taking over large parts of the Iraq-Syria border 34/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters hold a military parade in their stronghold in northeastern Syria 35/74 Isis fighters in Syria Isis fighters during a parade in Raqqa, Syria 36/74 Isis fighters in Syria A member loyal to the Isis waves an Isis flag in Raqqa 37/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi anti-government gunmen from Sunni tribes in the western Anbar province march during a protest in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The United Nations warned that Iraq is at a "crossroads" and appealed for restraint, as a bloody four-day wave of violence killed 195 people. The violence is the deadliest so far linked to demonstrations that broke out in Sunni areas of the Shiite-majority country more than four months ago, raising fears of a return to all-out sectarian conflict 38/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi security forces hold up a flag of the Isis group they captured during an operation to regain control of Dallah Abbas north of Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 35 miles (60 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad 39/74 Isis fighters in Iraq Isis fighters parade in the northern city of Mosul 40/74 Iraq crisis Volunteers, who have joined the Iraqi army to fight against the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Isis group, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony after completing their field training in Najaf 41/74 Iraq crisis Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Isis group in Jalawla, Diyala province 42/74 Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference Iraqi Prime Minister's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta speaks during a press conference about the latest military development in Iraq, in the capital Baghdad. Iraqi forces pressed a campaign to retake militant-held Tikrit, clashing with jihadist-led Sunni militants nearby and pounding positions inside the city with air strikes in their biggest counter-offensive so far 43/74 A police station building destroyed by Isis fighters An exterior view of a police station building destroyed by gunmen in Mosul city, northern Iraq. Iraq's new parliament is expected to convene to start the process of setting up a new government, despite deepening political rifts and an ongoing Islamist-led insurgency. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani issued a decree inviting the new House of Representatives to meet and form a new government 44/74 Isis fighters in Iraq Smoke billows from an area controlled by the Isis between the Iraqi towns of Naojul and Tuz Khurmatu, both located north of the capital Baghdad, as Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces take part in an operation to repel the Sunni militants 45/74 Iraqi refugees An elderly Iraqi woman is helped into a temporary displacement camp for Iraqis caught-up in the fighting in and around the city of Mosul in Khazair 46/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi Christian woman fleeing the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kms east of the northern province of Nineveh, cries upon her arrival at a community center in the Kurdish city of Arbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region 47/74 Iraqi refugees An Iraqi woman, who fled with her family from the northern city of Mosul, prays with a copy of the Quran AP 48/74 Isis fighters in Iraq The body of an Isis militant killed during clashes with Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of the city of Samarra Reuters 49/74 Iraq crisis Iraqi civilians inspect the damage at a market after an air strike by the Iraqi army in central Mosul EPA 50/74 Iraq crisis Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the city AP 51/74 Iraq crisis Shia tribesmen gather in Baghdad to take up arms against Sunni insurgents marching on the capital. Thousands have volunteered to bolster defences AFP/Getty 52/74 Iraq crisis A van carrying volunteers joining Iraqi security forces against Jihadist militants. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced the Iraqi government would arm and equip civilians who volunteered to fight AFP/Getty 53/74 Iraq Fighters of the Isis group parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul 54/74 Iraq An Islamist fighter, identified as Abu Muthanna al-Yemeni from Britain (R), speaks in this still image taken undated video shot at an unknown location and uploaded to a social media website. Five Islamist fighters identified as Australian and British nationals have called on Muslims to join the wars in Syria and Iraq, in the new video released by the Isis 55/74 Iraq Al-Qa’ida inspired militants stand with captured Iraqi Army Humvee at a checkpoint belonging to Iraqi Army outside Beiji refinery some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The fighting at Beiji comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Isis group. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said 56/74 Iraq Militants attacked Iraq's main oil refinein Baiji as they pressed an offensive that has seen them capture swathes of territory, a manager and a refinery employee said 57/74 Iraq Militants from the Isis group parading with their weapons in the northern city of Baiji in the in Salaheddin province 58/74 Iraq A smoke rises after an attack by Isis militants on the country's largest oil refinery in Beiji, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad. Iraqi security forces battled insurgents targeting the country's main oil refinery and said they regained partial control of a city near the Syrian border, trying to blunt an offensive by Sunni militants who diplomats fear may have also seized some 100 foreign workers 59/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group stand next to captured vehicles left behind by Iraqi security forces at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province. For militant groups, the fight over public perception can be even more important than actual combat, turning military losses into propaganda victories and battlefield successes into powerful tools to build support for the cause 60/74 Iraq An injured fighter (C) from the Isis group after a battle with Iraqi soldiers at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 61/74 Iraq Fighters from the Isis aiming at advancing Iraqi troops at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 62/74 Iraq Fighters from the Isis group taking position at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 63/74 Iraq Fighters from the Isis group inspecting vehicles of the Iraqi army after they were seized at an undisclosed location near the border between Syria and Iraq 64/74 Iraq One Iraqi captive, a corporal, is reluctant to say the slogan, and has to be shouted at repeatedly before he obeys Sky News 65/74 Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News 66/74 Iraq Iraqi captives held by the extremists Sky News 67/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group force captured Iraqi security forces members to the transport 68/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group transporting dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members to an unknown location in the Salaheddin province ahead of executing them 69/74 Iraq A major offensive spearheaded by Isis but also involving supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein has overrun all of one province and chunks of three others 70/74 Iraq Militants of the Isis group executing dozens of captured Iraqi security forces members at an unknown location in the Salaheddin province 71/74 Iraq Isis militants taking position at a Iraqi border post on the Syrian-Iraqi border between the Iraqi Nineveh province and the Syrian town of Al-Hasakah 72/74 Iraq Isis rebels show their flag after seizing an army post AFP/Getty Images 73/74 Iraq Isis militants waving an Islamist flag after the seizure of an Iraqi army checkpoint in Salahuddin Getty Images 74/74 Iraq Demonstrators chant slogans as they carry al-Qa’ida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. In the week since it captured Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, a Muslim extremist group has tried to win over residents and has stopped short of widely enforcing its strict brand of Islamic law, residents say. Churches remain unharmed and street cleaners are back at work

Yahya says he stayed two nights in a big house on the frontier and was then taken to a smuggling route where he saw hundreds of boys between the age of 15 and 18 helping people to cross the border. People with Middle Eastern faces could walk across on a road. Obvious foreigners – like Yahya with his slanted eyes – were told to take a smugglers’ road. A nearby Turkish soldier, Yahya said, “looked away when I crossed.” He was taken to the “guest house” of a man called Saifullah Chechenya [Saifullah from Chechenya]. There were refugee camps in the vicinity with UN flags. Women were wearing full Islamic covering.

“There were lots of houses there for guests of Daesh, guests of the Nusrah Front, the Muhajerin.” Yahya always used the Arabic acronym “Daesh” for Isis. “In the Chechenya house, I met another Kyrgyz man who called himself Abu Hanifa who had been studying ‘sharia’ in Saudi Arabia, and I asked him which house he was going to. He told me Daesh was the most powerful and he would go to them. Abu Hanifa was like a mufti in the house; he said I could decide on any group I wanted. Chechenya had more than 200 men under his control. All these people met a mufti called Abu Oweis al-Moghrabi [Father of Oweis from the Maghreb] and they joined Daesh. I made a pledge to Daesh. Abu Oweis said we were safe and promised that we would expand to other countries to spread the Islamic faith in Europe and Russia.”

Yahya joined a group of 30 Chechen and Kyrgyz men and noticed there were separate houses for different recruiting groups, “a German house, a British house, a Belgian house, a French house”. There was fierce fighting across Syria in 2013 between Isis and the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA). “Daesh tried to withdraw from the Aleppo countryside but their headquarters was surrounded by the FSA and put under siege. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi [the Isis leader] said over the internet that all women and children of Daesh families must go to Raqqa but that young people must stay and fight. As a translator, I moved there with the families and stayed at the Odessa Hotel in Raqqa which was under Daesh control.”

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Yahya spent many days in Raqqa, translating for Isis men who regularly witnessed executions in al-Naim square in the city. But after several months there, Yahya’s epic of “jihad” turned to farce. The car he was driving had broken down and when he visited a vehicle repair shop, he met a Syrian man who asked him if he wanted to get married. “I didn’t know where this man came from but he told me: ‘I have a relative, a girl you can see and you can meet her tomorrow at 7 o’clock.’ So next day, I went with two friends – they had their guns but I had left my Kalashnikov behind – but I didn’t know the road. It was near the Tabqa airbase in an area under Syrian control.”

And that was the guile-less Yahya’s undoing. He arrived at the house, was given green tea and juice to drink – which he now believes was laced with drugs – and fell asleep. When he awoke five hours later, he found five Syrian government soldiers standing around him and his two friends. “They told us: ‘You are surrounded’. They took us to Tabqa and then flew us to prison in Damascus. We confessed everything because we had been dressed in ‘jihadi’ clothes. I thought I would be killed and that the army would harm me. But they did not.”

After two years and two months in a Syrian jail, Yahya says what all prisoners almost always say: that when he arrived in Syria, he had been fed ‘lies’ on the internet but after his capture, he was well treated by his captors and not tortured. He is hoping, he says, that President Bashar al-Assad will grant a prisoners’ pardon and that he can go home to his family. “But now I’m known in Kyrgyzstan as a ‘terrorist’ and I’m worried the police will come to my family.” And what sort of reception would Yahya receive from his father Daniel, who runs a bicycle shop in Osh?

“Before I left Kyrgyzstan, a relative of mine advised me that if I wanted to be an Islamic teacher, I should study in Egypt. I asked my father, who approved and he helped me to travel there. When I called him on the telephone for the first time and told him I was in Syria – this was three months before I was captured – I asked him not to be upset. But he said: ‘They told you lies – there is no ‘jihad’ in Syria.’ He asked me to go home and said he was afraid he would be arrested by the police.”

The Fergana Valley in which Osh lies has for years been home to Islamist extremists, even under Soviet rule, and Isis itself is believed to have cadres operating there. The Kyrgyz government is unlikely to demand Yahya’s release. After he shook hands with us, he turned to go and, even before his jailors arrived, he automatically put his arms behind his back as if about to be handcuffed.