TORTURE

A Horror Tale From Former ISIS Captives

Months of psychological and physical torture.

Hostages of ISIS, or Islamic State as it calls itself, were forced to endure months of psychological and physical torture before their eventual beheading on camera, released captives said in a horrifying report from The New York Times. Western captives, including James Foley, who was murdered Aug. 19 by beheading on camera, were subjected to waterboarding, beaten, starved and threatened with execution by one group of militants. They were then treated kindly and teased by dangled offers of freedom by other militants. This cruelty eventually turned the prisoners against each other while some, including Foley, turned to Islam as a source of spiritual comfort. The Times pieced together the horror story of some of the 23 Western hostages of ISIS by talking with five released captives, locals who witnessed the events, relatives and collagues, and a number of advisors who tried to win their freedom.