A couple who are IS members are having fun by the Euphrates River.
Al-Homsi dated a Tunisian bride online before getting married.
`It’s everything one wants in a wedding,` al-Homsi said.
Gunmen beheaded opponents and stoned adulterers to death, checking all passersby to see if they had gelled their hair or violated Shariah law.
However, IS supporters believe that this organization is building a new country, ruled by `the law of God`, gathering Muslims around the world, united under the so-called `law of God`.
To achieve its goals, this organization heavily spent money to bribe thousands of fighters, both men and women from the Arab world, Europe, Central Asia and America, to join IS to buy houses and get married.
`It’s not just about fighting,` al-Homsi said, using a fake name.
Expensive houses and apartments that once belonged to President Bashar Assad’s government officials are now home to the IS ruling class.
`The city is stable, with all essential services. This is not like the rural areas controlled by IS,` said Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi, a former medical student who founded the anti-IS organization named after him.
Encourage warriors to get married
IS prioritizes helping fighters start families.
Al-Homsi has been in contact with The Associated Press for more than three years, since becoming an activist for the war in his hometown of Homs, a city in central Syria.
He supported IS very early, in 2013. However, it was not until mid-2014, when Homs was besieged for more than 2 years, that al-Homsi became a fighter.
Al-Homsi met his wife during a social media activity.
The 24-year-old bride arrived in Algeria via Türkiye, then went to Raqqa with a group of other women on their way to join IS.
Meanwhile, al-Homsi traveled 250 km from Homs to Raqqa to meet his wife, after receiving permission from the commander.
After their honeymoon, the couple returned to Homs, where IS was fighting government troops.
Al-Homsi also receives a uniform and clothing allowance, some household items, and $65 for food each month.
Hannah