Report: Number of Foreign Fighters in Iraq and Syria Double to 31,000

Newsweek
By: Lucy Westcott

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The number of foreign fighters who have entered Syria and Iraq to fight for militant groups, such as the Islamic State (ISIS), has more than doubled in 18 months, according to a new report.

There are now between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters from 86 countries who have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join armed groups, more than double the 12,000 identified in June 2014, according to The Soufan Group, a New York–based international consultancy firm. The number of recruits from Western Europe has more than doubled in 18 months, while those from Russia and Central Asia have increased by nearly 300 percent, according to the report. The number of foreign fighters from North America has “remained relatively flat” since last year.

Since the Paris attacks last month, there have been growing fears of attacks by European nationals who traveled to Syria for training with militant groups before returning home.

The report says the influx of foreign nationals joining militant groups shows that “efforts to contain the flow of foreign recruits to extremist groups in Syria and Iraq have had limited impact…

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Download The Soufan Group’s updated report on Foreign Fighters here.

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