FOREIGN-trained mercenaries of the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) took advantage of the pitiful plight of the residents of a Muslim community by recruiting teenagers to join the jihad (holy war) with the promise of financial support for them and their families.

This was learned by The Manila Times from an 18-year-old recruit who said he has trained with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for about six months now and wanted out complaining of starvation and rigid physical exercises.