20000 foreign fighters head to syria
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Trend lines are clear and concerning

20,000 foreign fighters head to Syria

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today 20,000 foreign fighters head to Syria

Fighters marching at undisclosed location
Washington - Arab Today

Foreign fighters are flocking to Syria at an "unprecedented" rate, with more than 20,000 volunteers from around the world joining the Islamic State or other extremist groups, US intelligence officials said.
The foreign fighters have traveled to Syria from more than 90 countries, including at least 3,400 from Western states and more than 150 Americans, according to the latest estimate from the National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC).
A majority of the foreign volunteers who arrived recently have joined forces with the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, it said.
The estimate of the total number of foreign fighters flocking to Syria was up from a previous estimate in January of roughly 19,000, according to NCTC.
No precise numbers are available "but the trend lines are clear and concerning," Nicholas Rasmussen, NCTC director, said in prepared remarks for a congressional hearing on Wednesday.
"The rate of foreign fighter travel to Syria is unprecedented. It exceeds the rate of travelers who went to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, or Somalia at any point in the last 20 years," he said.
The volunteers come from a range of backgrounds and "do not fit any one stereotype," Rasmussen said.
"The battlefields in Iraq and Syria provide foreign fighters with combat experience, weapons and explosives training, and access to terrorist networks that may be planning attacks which target the West," he said.
Western governments have voiced increasing alarm over the flow of foreign volunteers heading to the Syrian conflict, particularly in the aftermath of jihadist attacks in Paris that left 17 dead.
In the months-long battle for the Syrian town of Kobane near the Turkish border, large numbers of foreign fighters were among the jihadists killed, according to US officials.
Kurdish forces, backed up by US-led air strikes, eventually succeeded in fending off an attempt by the IS group to seize Kobane.
- Propaganda appeals -
The IS militants are able to recruit new volunteers partly because of their savvy use of propaganda on social media, producing videos and appeals in a range of languages, Rasmussen said.
Apart from grisly images of murders of hostages and battlefield executions, the group also tries to reach alienated youth by promoting images of a welcoming, "bucolic" life in their self-declared caliphate, he said.
Catering to a younger, thrill-seeking audience, the IS jihadists employ references to Western brands and popular video games, he said.
"They have also coined pithy 'memes' such as, 'YODO: You Only Die Once. Why not make it martyrdom?'"
Al-Qaeda and its branches in the Middle East and Africa have never displayed such an acumen with propaganda, he added.
The NCTC director's prepared testimony for the House Homeland Security Committee, which holds a hearing on Wednesday, was released to AFP on Tuesday.
There was no single route the foreign fighters travel to reach Syria, but most eventually pass through Turkey "because of its geographic proximity to the Syrian border areas," he said.
The recruits have taken advantage of Turkey's visa-free travel arrangements with about 69 governments, including with European Union states, the director said.
Turkey has bolstered its effort to stem the flow and deny entry to potential foreign fighters. The country now has a travel ban list that includes some 10,000 people.
But while Turkey and other European countries have strengthened border controls and taken other steps, "significant work remains" to prevent volunteers from heading to Syria or to stop them from returning, he said.
In the end, the only way to counter extremist threats and the IS group is to "diminish the appeal of terrorism and dissuade individuals from joining them in the first place," Rasmussen said.
In a statement for Wednesday's hearing, the Republican chairman of the House committee, Michael McCaul, said he was "worried about our ability to combat this threat abroad, but also here at home."
The threat of homegrown extremism, in which individuals inspired by Islamist propaganda are motivated to launch attacks, also remains cause for concern but has not intensified, he said.
The NCTC believes the annual threat of homegrown violence could result in fewer than 10 "uncoordinated and unsophisticated" plots in the United States from a pool of up to a few hundred people, he said.
Source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

GMT 14:19 2018 Thursday ,18 January

Syria jihadist chief urges rebels to 'close ranks'

GMT 14:40 2018 Wednesday ,17 January

Erdogan vows to uproot 'terror nests'

GMT 13:35 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

Pope 'afraid' world is 'one accident'

GMT 12:54 2018 Monday ,15 January

Palestinians exhume body of disabled Gazan killed

GMT 13:16 2018 Sunday ,14 January

At least four dead in Indian chopper crash

GMT 14:55 2018 Saturday ,13 January

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal

GMT 12:13 2018 Friday ,12 January

Saudi-led coalition says Yemen rebels threat

GMT 14:52 2018 Thursday ,11 January

Firm to receive up to $70 mn if MH370 found
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

20000 foreign fighters head to syria 20000 foreign fighters head to syria

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

20000 foreign fighters head to syria 20000 foreign fighters head to syria

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 21:29 2017 Wednesday ,11 January

World Cup Finals Expanded to 48 Teams from 2026

GMT 12:04 2018 Saturday ,13 January

Trump 'desperate' to undermine nuclear

GMT 14:03 2017 Saturday ,02 December

Venezuela rivals begin new crisis negotiations bid

GMT 08:20 2017 Saturday ,29 April

Iran candidates square off in first TV debate

GMT 10:17 2017 Sunday ,12 February

US threatens Iran with reprisals over missile test

GMT 00:44 2013 Friday ,01 February

Best of British on pole at race retro sale

GMT 09:19 2015 Saturday ,01 August

Angelina Jolie urges justice

GMT 09:16 2016 Wednesday ,07 September

Daesh claims deadly attack

GMT 04:34 2015 Thursday ,29 October

Michelle Obama to visit Qatar, Jordan

GMT 16:52 2017 Tuesday ,21 February

Iraqi troops push into Daesh-held southern

GMT 19:08 2017 Thursday ,23 February

Mourinho worried about distant Euro draw

GMT 23:28 2012 Wednesday ,19 September

Papyrus proves Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene

GMT 11:58 2011 Monday ,20 June

Samsung launches new promotional campaign

GMT 00:39 2017 Monday ,06 March

Climb up the stairs, win attractive prizes

GMT 16:10 2017 Wednesday ,26 April

A Young Iraqi books his seat in Congress Library

GMT 03:18 2015 Saturday ,09 May

Qatar's PM congratulates British counterpart
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday