Purported ISIS Document Leak Shows Fighter Details
GORANI: Welcome back. The Pentagon is now giving us more details about the captured ISIS operative that it says had been revealing the chemical weapon secrets. The American military now says that that operative was the chief of ISIS' chemical weapon's program. And the Pentagon is saying the coalition carried out airstrikes based on Intel from that operative. After they captured him in February, and it's now handed him over to the Iraqi government. That's according to the Pentagon. Now the world may be getting some insight into the strange and surreal bureaucracy of ISIS. German officials say, they have a set of documents that are essentially a treasure-trove of fighter details. And there's a high probability, they say, that the information is authentic. A pro- opposition Syrian newspaper released this document. It's apparently one of several ISIS job applications, complete with Jihadist names and details we can't verify it's real, but it includes standard questions you'd expect on any application form. Name, date of birth, education, job references, even, but recruits will also need to list their religious status. They're previous Jihad experience, their level of obedience, and whether or not they're willing to become suicide bombers. Fred Pleitgen is here with us to discuss this. You know, when you read all of these things, I mean, we believe they're real, pretty much, the Germans are saying they're real.</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. The Germans say -- they believe that they're real. There were some people who would raise questions about the authenticity. They said one of the stamps, when the logos wasn't one that they had seen from ISIS before, but there's other people who say look, this came at a time when the bureaucracy of ISIS wasn't as sophisticated as it is for instance now when 2015 when they were sort of at the height of their power. And so maybe it was something that was in development. But the Germans say, they have absolutely no reason to doubt that these are real, and they say they're going to use them in their law enforcement efforts.</s>GORANI: And how will they use them?</s>PLEITGEN: Well, for instance --</s>GORANI: They have names and everything.</s>PLEITGEN: This is the thing, I mean, they have names, they have phone numbers, one of the German publications that saw some of the German fighters, they went and checked some of the information. They called some of these numbers and all of the information, at least from the ones that they called, it all checked out. So one of the big problems that the Germans and many others have had in the past is that when people had gone to Syria, they might come back and say listen, I didn't join ISIS, and I didn't go there to join ISIS. Well now, they have a document that says, you went there and you signed up for this.</s>GORANI: And how did they acquire these documents?</s>PLEITGEN: That's one of the big questions. There's some people who believe that it was defectors, and it was people who became disillusioned with the caliphate, especially now at this time when they're losing ground, when apparently they've had to cut down on salaries. They've had to cut down some of the benefits that they've had in the past that many people, especially I wouldn't say westerners, but foreigners who joined ISIS and leave the caliphate, maybe take a hard drive or something and then try to sell it.</s>GORANI: Interesting nationality breakdown as well. It's just over 70 percent of Arabs, but then many others.</s>PLEITGEN: There's many others. There's a lot of Germans, 18 Germans, there's some Turks, there's 16 Britains that were on it. We have to keep in mind though that this lists come from 2013 and 2014, so some of what we're hearing is that some of the people on that list have been killed.</s>GORANI: Uh-hm.</s>PLEITGEN: Some people, the whereabouts are unknown. So, it's unclear how many people you would actually be able to prosecute with this, but it certainly does give an interesting insight as to breakdown of people who came here, what kind of people came there, and some instances also, offers leads.</s>GORANI: And it's just remarkable some of the questions. I mean, we had a name of mother, I mean, all of these things that you'd expect. Then are you willing to blow yourself up?</s>PLEITGEN: Are you willing to blow yourself up? And the interesting thing was apparently there was one that our people reviewed that apparently, it was an Australian who said that he wanted to blow himself up, but felt he was too short sided and that could be a problem. And also you couldn't drive a manual car and that could be an issue as well.</s>GORANI: Yes. I mean, if it wasn't so just absolutely grim and horrible, you'd find it funny.</s>PLEITGEN: Yes. But it also shows that they have a real knack for bureaucracy.</s>GORANI: Yes.</s>PLEITGEN: Because why else would a terror organization put in place something and ask that many questions. Some of the information presumably they would never use again, but it does show that they do have a knack for just acquiring a lot of paperwork. Which of course is something that they can go and fight people when they go there.</s>GORANI: Yes. Interesting stuff. Fred Pleitgen. Thanks very much. With more on that story and a lot more coming up. The U.S. and Canada are striking a deal, wanting to reduce greenhouse gases. But it's a very important day at the White House, because it's not often that a Canadian prime minister visits Washington, it's happening today. Justin Trudeau is at the White House, we'll have more on his visit after this.