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Estimates Rising of Foreign
Fighters in Iraq, Syria
by Jeff Seldin December
24, 2014
Foreign fighters are
making more of a mark on the battles raging across Syria and Iraq than
initially thought.
U.S. intelligence
officials estimate that more than 18,000 foreign fighters now have flocked to
the region -- up from about 16,000 at the start of November. An estimate by the
National Counter Terrorism Center in September had put the number of foreign
fighters at more than 15,000.
The number of Western
passport holders joining the fight also has grown, to at least 3,000. Earlier
estimates had put the number of Westerners fighting in Iraq and Syria at about
2,700.
Officials caution the
higher estimates do not mean, however, there are necessarily more fighters on
the battlefield.
"Countries are
scrutinizing suspect travel more closely," an intelligence official told
VOA on the condition of anonymity. "So, more foreign fighters are being
captured in the count."
Just recently, the
government in Jakarta raised its estimate of Indonesian fighters in Syria from
300 to 350, telling VOA's Indonesian Service better information on the use of
aliases and on Indonesians living abroad was a key factor.
'The problem is their
IDs are not identical with their aliases. Therefore, we have to crosscheck them
for validation,' said Wawan Purwanto, an expert with Indonesia's Anti-Terrorism
Management Agency [BNPT].
U.S. intelligence
officials say most of the foreign fighters heading to Iraq or Syria seem to be
intent on joining with the Islamic State, although many are still fighting with
the al-Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front or with other groups.
There also is hope that
the flow of foreign fighters to the region will begin to subside.
"The Europeans and
other allies are taking steps to stem the flow of their citizens to Syria and
Iraq, while the Turks are trying harder to keep their borders from being
exploited by jihadists," the U.S. intelligence official said. "It
could be a while for the dampening effect of these measures to start showing up
in the foreign fighter intelligence estimates."
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