The Use of Stimulants in the Ranks of Islamic State: Myth or Reality of the Syrian Conflict

Abstract

The emergence of the Islamic State organization on the Syrian war scene has raised the role of amphetamines, and in particular the drug Captagon, in explaining the military performance and the savagery of its militants. This phenomenon has received extensive coverage in the international media. We review the evidence for it relying on available public sources in the context of a historical understanding of the use of stimulants in warfare and the Islamic position on psychoactive substances. © 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.