The first British woman jailed for joining Isis has said she wishes she went on holiday instead.
Tareena Shakil travelled from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, to Syria with her son in 2014, and was imprisoned for six years after returning to the UK the following year.
In a new ITV documentary, she revealed that if she could go back in time she would go to Turkey, rather than the Isis stronghold in Raqqa, Syria.
‘If I could go back I would have come back,’ she said. ‘I would have gone to Turkey on holiday and I would have come back.
‘That’s what should have happened, gone on holiday for a week and come back.’
Shakil’s story comes as fellow Isis bride Shamima Begum reportedly said she fears for her life after IS fanatics attempted to launch an arson attack on her tent.
The new documentary, filmed over three years, says Shakil was groomed at the hands of a recruiter.
At one point during the documentary, Shakil was confronted with a photo of herself holding an AK47.
‘That’s someone who’s just lost her way in life, found a very wrong path,’ she said.
Shakil said she was aware of the violence being committed by the jihadists because ‘it was everywhere’.
She added: ‘I was aware of the violence that had taken place at the hands of Isis, you know I can’t lie and say that I didn’t because it was everywhere.
‘You know, being aware of horrific things that were happening in that place and still deciding to run away, not just on your own, with your child, I understand that that is hard for people to understand.’
She added that she did not pay much attention to the violence at the time.
‘And to just say that you didn’t pay that much attention to it, but that’s what it was, I just, I didn’t,’ she said.
‘It’s not something that I’m happy about now looking back, but at the time the only thing I can say is that, you know, I was far from the best version of myself.’
Tareena: Return From Isis is available now on ITV Hub.
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