'Five-star jihadists' pack iPad, hair product, on path to martyrdom

British al-Qaeda sympathisers are using Twitter and other social media to promote "five-star" jihad in Syria, and to keep diaries and blogs.

The rush of foreign jihadists to Syria from America, Britain and other parts of Europe, has given rise to a new phenomenon where fighters use public internet platforms to recruit members, post eulogies for martyrs, send messages home and provide advice to would-be volunteers.

Unlike the more ascetic campaign in Afghanistan in the 1980s, where fighters followed the puritanical Wahhabi ethos embraced by Osama bin Laden and were cut off from the outside world for months, nights in Syria can be spent online gaming or chatting to family in the UK on the internet connection that is provided at their sleeping quarters.

"The three top travel items that jihadists are saying are needed for Syria are toilet paper, a first-aid kit and an iPad," said Shiraz Maher, an analyst from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, who has been following the jihadists' online activity. "Many of these guys have come from Western societies and are used to using Twitter and other media."

Abu Qa'qaa', a jihadist in Syria believed to be British, runs question-and-answer sessions on a Flickr account for would-be volunteers. An iPad or "something with Wi-Fi", he wrote is essential, as is soap and hair products ("My Afro is melting."). The phrase "five-star jihad" has become common parlance online. One widely circulated tweet read: "A brother who was in Mali couldn't change clothes or shower for two months ... here it truly is a five-star jihad."

"Compared to the privations of living in Kandahar, these guys in Syria are tweeting pictures of KitKat bars and Red Bull drinks. They know they are going to die, martyr themselves for jihad." said Maher.

"When the English speakers tweet, the number of hits they get, from people in the UK, is huge, with many asking, 'How can I get there?"'

Analysts have noted that many of the people following English-speaking jihadists, and an increasing number of those volunteering to travel to Syria, are women. The platforms are also increasingly being used to announce the deaths of comrades. Steven Stalinsky, the executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute terms it the "martyrdom tweet".

"Martyrdom tweets ... is a phenomenon that started just over a year ago from Syria. At first there were a handful. Now it's impossible to keep track because everyone is doing them."