One morning in mid-January 2015, a small, furtive-looking man in a black hooded parka stood alone on the Turkish side of the Akçakale border crossing with Syria.

The man glanced around uneasily, and finally approached a street sweeper in a blue jumpsuit. 'I want to cross to the other side,' he said. 'What can I do?' The street sweeper demanded 75 Turkish lira and pointed to a small hole in the fence, not far from the main gate.

The man paid him but hesitated. He had come a long way, and was now barely 10 metres from his destination: the dusty brown hills of northern Syria, where the Islamic State began. 'What about the guards?' he said. 'No problem,' the street sweeper replied. 'Just go.'

The man walked towards the hole in the gate. He bent down and squeezed through. On the other side, he began to run. One of the Turkish guards saw him and shouted. He did not stop.

The newcomer's name was Abu Ali, 38, from Jordan. He had another name and another life, but like most migrants to the Islamic State, he had cast it off. He wanted to be born again.

Border crossing: One morning in mid-January 2015, Abu Ali, from Jordan, a small, furtive-looking man in a black hooded parka stood alone on the Turkish side of the Akçakale border crossing with Syria

Syrian crossing: These refugees are fleeing from Syria into Turkey but Abu Ali sneaked across the border in the opposite direction, paying a sweeper 75 Turkish lira to show him the way across

Sprinting to arms of Isis: Abu Ali bent down and squeezed through the border fence. On the other side, he began to run. One of the Turkish guards saw him and shouted but he did not stop until he reached Islamic State guards