Report: Number of foreign fighters in Syria doubled in 18 months
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 9 December 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Report: Number of foreign fighters in Syria doubled in 18 months, 9 December 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56813d982b.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
December 09, 2015
A new report says Islamist groups such as the Islamic State have more than doubled their recruitment of foreign fighters to least 27,000 in the past 18 months.
The report from the Soufan Group, a New York-based intelligence consultancy, says Arab countries supply the greatest number of recruits.
It says recruitment has risen markedly in Western Europe and the former Soviet Union, particularly Russia's North Caucasus republics of Chechnya and Daghestan and Central Asian countries.
The authors say the largest single group of foreign fighters is Tunisians, numbering some 6,000.
The second-largest is from Saudi Arabia (2,500), followed by Russia (2,400). Some 5,000 fighters come from EU countries.
The document says the average rate of returnees to Western countries is now at up to 30 percent.
This presents "a significant challenge to security and law-enforcement agencies that must assess the threat they pose," it says.
Based on reporting by Reuters and the BBC
Link to original story on RFE/RL website