First thing was that all forms of identification were out - no photographs, and no mention of his real name. He said he was originally from Al-Bab, a town east of Aleppo, but had been based with the army in Deraa, in the south of the country, before he managed to get away. Since then, he had fought in "a large number" of Aleppo's battles. "And I was on the winning side in each one too," he added.