Foreign Fighters Keep Flocking to ISIS, Other Extremist Groups

Vocativ
By: Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

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The number of foreign jihadists who’ve traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS and other violent extremist groups has more than doubled in the last 18 months, according to a new report from The Soufan Group, a security intelligence firm.

As many as 31,000 men and women have now been recruited from at least 86 countries, according to the report. The Soufan Group first quantified the flow of foreign fighters into Syria and Iraq in June 2014. At that time, it found only about 12,000.

The latest tally reflects how hard it’s been for some nations to halt the flow of would-be militants from joining the terror group’s self-declared caliphate, said Patrick Skinner, director of special projects at The Soufan Group. It is also evidence of ISIS’ enduring appeal, despite its brutal violence and ongoing efforts by a U.S.-led coalition to destroy it.

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

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http://www.vocativ.com/news/258855/foreign-fighters-keep-flocking-to-isis-other-extremist-groups/