# My Education on the Border of the Syrian War > A journalist meets a Syrian hacker who claims to save lives with robots but is accused of scamming women online. - Title: My Education on the Border of the Syrian War · The New Yorker - Summary: A journalist meets a Syrian hacker who claims to save lives with robots but is accused of scamming women online. A journalist in Kilis, Turkey, meets Ahmed… - Keywords: syrian war, ahmed harvester, kulis, free syrian army, nusra, isis, abductions, journalists, hacker, robot rescue, politics, news - Source: The New Yorker — https://newyorker.com/magazine/2026/10/19/my-education-on-the-border-of-the-syrian-war - Author: Ben Taub - Published: 2026-10-12T10:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: syrian war, ahmed harvester, kulis, free syrian army, nusra, isis, abductions, journalists, hacker, robot rescue, politics, news ## Meeting Ahmed Harvester I met Ahmed Harvester, a Syrian hacker who claims to build robot rescue teams for sniper victims. > I’ve got my pirate software at the ready ## Ahmed’s Background Ahmed was a software engineer who fled Syria after being detained twice by Assad’s forces. > I had been detained by Assad’s security forces twice, first for trying to buy a music album that had 'Freedom' in the title ## The Hotel Istanbul The Hotel Istanbul in Kilis, Turkey, cost five euros a night before the war and almost fifteen now. > Before the war, a room at the hotel had cost the equivalent of five euros a night ## Ahmed’s Robot Project Ahmed designed a robot to rescue people from sniper attacks using titanium arms and reggae music to calm victims. > The claws, he explained, would grab the injured person and shove him into a cavity below ## Ahmed’s Scam Allegations Ahmed was accused of scamming women online by claiming he needed money to escape Syrian conscription. > He told me that he saved that little boy’s life that day ## The Abduction of Steven Sotloff An American freelancer named Steven Sotloff was kidnapped by ISIS after meeting a compromised fixer. > He had gone to meet Youssef as planned. Within ten minutes of crossing, they had been kidnapped by ISIS ## The Aftermath I discovered my Facebook messages to Sotloff were read by ISIS after he was abducted. > I realized my recent Facebook messages to Sotloff had been sent after his abduction ## The Wedding Ahmed married a French woman named Isabelle, who had met him online in a pro-revolution Facebook group. > Ahmed wore a white suit with a bright-red tie; Isabelle wore a red-and-white dress embroidered with flowers ## The Children’s Concerns Ahmed’s children believed their mother was in Syria with him after he claimed to have crossed the border. > She won’t tell us when they cross, and Ahmed said they had big plans for tonight ## The Suicide Attacks Bilal, a Nusra fighter, described how his cousins were involved in suicide attacks during Ramadan. > He had to organize a lottery of names for suicide attacks ## The Bombing A regime jet bombed a truck carrying explosives, killing Bilal’s cousin who was on the suicide mission. > The air strike detonated the explosives in the truck, producing the boom that we heard from Kilis ## The Abductions ISIS abducted Western journalists and aid workers, including an American freelancer named Steven Sotloff. > ISIS had abducted Western journalists and aid workers ## The Scam Allegations Ahmed was accused of scamming women online by claiming he needed money to escape Syrian conscription. > He told me that he saved that little boy’s life that day ## The Wedding Party Ahmed and Isabelle held a wedding party in Kilis with a mix of refugees and fighters. > I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world! ## The Children’s Reaction Ahmed’s children were worried about their mother’s safety after he claimed to have crossed into Syria. > She won’t tell us when they cross, and Ahmed said they had big plans for tonight ## The Aftermath I discovered my Facebook messages to Sotloff were read by ISIS after he was abducted. > I realized my recent Facebook messages to Sotloff had been sent after his abduction ## Key takeaway A journalist in Kilis, Turkey, meets Ahmed Harvester, a Syrian hacker who builds rescue robots but has been accused of scamming women online.