'Bumbling Jihadi' who fled New Zealand to fight for Islamic State says his biggest regret about joining the caliphate was never being able to afford a slave – because 'decent ones cost up to $20,000'
- A New Zealand jihadi has been captured and detained in a Kurdish prison
- 'Kiwi jihadi' Mark Taylor, 42, entered Syria to join the Islamic State in 2014
- He fled the organisation last December, saying his life became 'unbearable'
- He said his biggest regret was never being able to afford a slave during his time
A jihadi who fled his home in New Zealand to fight with Islamic State says his biggest regret about joining the caliphate is having never been able to afford a slave.
Mark Taylor, also known as the 'Bumbling Jihadi' after he accidentally alerted authorities to the location of fighters by enabling geo-tagging on a social media post, travelled to Syria in 2014.
But he now claims he never fought for ISIS, and instead acted as a guard during his five-year tenure with the terror group on the border between the Islamic State and the Syrian Government.
However, during his time overseas, Taylor said he regretted never purchasing a Yazidi slave, lamenting the costs associated with a 'decent one', the ABC.
Taylor (pictured) left New Zealand with the intention of being a 'martyr', entering Syria in 2014
'To buy a slave, you're looking at least $4000 American to buy an older woman, at least past 50-years-old,' he told ABC.
'And to buy a decent one, at least (USD) $10,000 or $20,000.'
ISIS reportedly took thousands of Yazidi women and girls hostage as sex slaves during their reign of terror.
Taylor told the publication he would be surprised if New Zealand refused to take him back.
The nation doesn't have the same duel citizenship laws as Australia or Britain, who are able to revoke a person's citizenship so long as it doesn't leave them stateless.
He said upon his return to his home country, he would expect to serve time in prison.
'I'm sorry for causing too much trouble and being a bit hot-headed and flamboyant in my approach. I don't know if I can go back to New Zealand, but at the end of the day it's really something I have to live with for the rest of my life.'
Taylor is currently said to be detained in a Kurdish prison after he fled the caliphate in December 2018 and handed himself in because life had become 'unbearable'.
'Kiwi jihadi' Mark Taylor (pictured) has been detained in a Kurdish prison after surrendering
Taylor (pictured) said he was 'in a pickle' in the weeks before he fled the Islamic State
Taylor said he was 'in a pickle' in the weeks before he left Syria.
'There was no food, no money, basic services were pretty much collapsed. I was in a pickle myself and had to make a final decision, which was to leave,' Taylor told ABC.
'That was a hard decision to call, because people were telling me 'you can't leave, you came here for the sake of Allah, you came here to die'.'
In 2015, the US Government declared Taylor a global terrorist.
He had encouraged attacks in Australia and New Zealand, including releasing a YouTube video in which he told followers to 'stab a few police officers, soldiers on Anzac Day'.
Taylor has lived in Australia sporadically over the course of the past 25 years.
He spent time in and out of prison in the Middle East, including a 50-day stint in an IS jail for tweeting with his location attached.
Forgetting to disable the geo-tagging feature on his Twitter, Taylor took to the social media platform to ask for doctors and dentists to join him in 2014.
A series of 45 tweets send from the handle @M_Taylor_Kiwi were saved by the Canadian based social media jihad monitor Ibrabo.
Taylor got in trouble with Islamic State officials for posting tweets with the location on
Taylor (pictured) said he would be surprised if his native New Zealand did not take him back in
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