19-05-2025
A father's fight to find out what happened to his son who joined ISIS
Stockholm, Sweden and Northeast Syria - In late September 2014, Aaden*, a sociable, middle-aged father of five, got a call from two intelligence agents asking to meet with him.
The two casually-dressed women from the Swedish Security Service (Sapo) were polite and reassuring. They were responding to a panicked call Aaden had made to emergency services about a week earlier.
He had phoned for help after his son Damaal* called him from southern Turkiye to say he was about to cross the border into Syria to join ISIL, also known as ISIS.
"But you'll die!" Aaden had pleaded with his son.
"Maybe. But I'm strong, thanks to you," came the response.
Frustrated, Aaden asked the Sapo agents to help him understand how Damaal was "radicalised".
They told him they were as surprised as he was. Damaal, unlike many other ISIL recruits, had never been flagged in their system.
Urging Aaden to contact them if he heard from Damaal, they said goodbye.
It would not be long before they spoke again.
