U.S. citizen fighting for Islamic State killed in Syria
A U.S. citizen has died while fighting in Syria on behalf of the Islamic State.
The New York Times reports that the U.S. citizen was known as Douglas McAuthur McCain. McCain seems to have lived what seemed like the average life of a U.S. teenager before suddenly joining the jihadists of the Islamic State.
The Star Tribune reports that McCain was born in Chicago and relocated to Minneapolis-St.Paul as a child. He graduated from the local Robbinsdale Cooper High School in 1999.
The Times says that McCain had nine different encounters with law enforcement for a variety of infractions such as marijuana possession, driving without a license and theft.
The 33-year-old was killed as he and two other foreign jihadis ambushed a rebel group in the northern Syrian city of Marea. His compatriots in the attack were an Egyptian and a Tunisian. After killing two people, the rebel group responded and killed McCain and his companions, according to the Times. As the rebels rifled through McCain's pockets, they discovered a U.S. passport.
The Wire reports that McCain's transformation from a U.S. teenager who was a fan of the Chicago Bulls into a violent jihadist could be seen on McCain's Facebook page. The pictures on his page were typical of a social media profile, with selfies and other photos. He had around 900 friends.
The most telling detail is that he changed the name on his profile to "Duale ThaslaveofAllah," according to The Wire.
Like most foreign fighters in Syria, it is believed that McCain traveled to Syria via Turkey, which has only recently begun to impose stricter controls on its border with Syria. The Star Tribune points out that in communications with his family, he told them he was in Turkey.
