THE PRICE OF LEAVING THEM TO THE ASSADS FOR FORTY YEARS:

Syrian residents of Raqqa tend to view with distrust the foreign jihadists that the Islamic State ushered in, although few dare speak up out of fear of reprisal. While Raqqa long adhered to conservative Muslim values, most find the group's harsh interpretation of Islam alienating rather than inspiring. None would condone the killing of fellow Muslims. Many feel that slicing and dicing between unbelievers and apostates is something best left to God, rather than new converts or ex-drug addicts, who they say populate the IS ranks.

"We got rid of [Syrian President Bashar] Assad in Raqqa but now we have 20,000 Assads," complains Aisha, who crossed into Turkey with the help of a smuggler and now lives in the dusty town of Akcakale. The CIA estimates that the Islamic State, which has battled both the Syrian regime and more moderate anti-Assad groups in its rise to prominence, boasts between 20,000 and 30,000 men in its ranks.

"The worst is their women - they walk about carrying guns, grenades, and suicide belts. You are always worried that one of them will go off by accident," says Aisha. She now feels safe enough to chuckle at the memory of a jihadist's wife who scolded her at the gynecologist's office for lifting her face veil for a quick breather. The woman was so adamant that Aisha deemed it best to cover up, despite the suffocating heat and absence of men.

Other Raqqa residents, however, credit IS with running an effective Islamic court, settling local disputes fairly and introducing mechanisms to right their own wrongdoings. There is a complaints office for those who have been treated unfairly, maktab al-madhalim.

"This sort of thing was unheard off under Assad," says Rabia, a teenager living in Raqqa who was wrongly accused by rivals of pocketing oil revenue, a main source of income for the Islamic State. He was released after a few hours of questioning and the man responsible for the false charges was later detained.

But those who pay for their alleged crimes in blood don't have the luxury of appeal. [...]

Mahmoud, a young man who left Raqqa this month to join his friends in Istanbul, sums up the situation: "Killings have become normal. Everyday you leave your house in Raqqa and you see death. Everyone has lost someone.

"Assad bombs and kills civilians," he says. "Daash [IS] executes regime troops and rebels, but they brought security. Few people join IS out of religious belief. Most are in it for power, money, and recognition, or simply to have their backs covered if they have problems in the community. The tragedy is that the youth and children are easily brainwashed, so this will be a long-term problem."

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