Why so many foreigners join in ISIS
Why So Many Foreigners Join Jihadists? Wang Zixuan 201201228 Mon 13:30 The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is a jihadist group based on al-Qaeda in Iraq, formed in April 2013. It has become one of the main jihadist groups fighting government forces in Syria and Iraq. Its leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who joined the rebellion that erupted in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003. Its original aim was to establish a caliphate in the Sunni-majority regions of Iraq. Following its involvement in the Syrian Civil War, this expanded to include controlling Sunni-majority areas of Syria.
The CIA source (Jomana Karadsheh 2014) showed that more than 15,000 foreign fighters, including 2,000 Westerners, have gone to Syria to be jihadists from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait then to Turkey, which is a main route for jihadists into Syria. The figure was reported in September, 2014, which means that the total number is still increasing. "This new total reflects an increase in members because of stronger recruitment since June following battlefield successes and the declaration of a caliphate, greater battlefield activity and additional intelligence," a CIA spokesman said. Iraqis and Syrians probably constitute more than 70% of ISIS fighters while there are about 30% percent of them are foreigners from Norway, America, Canada, Somalia, Korea, China, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Lebanon and other European countries such as Germany and France.
Besides the safety of the foreign fighters themselves, as more and more skilled professionals join the jihadists, the concern that they may try to attack outside Iraq and Syria has become extreme. ISIS’ s goal is “cleanse the area where the Muslim majority states are, and then go out and beat up the rest of the world.” said Richard Barrett (2014), a senior vice president at The Soufan Group. And they attract more and more foreign fighters who hold passports and require no visas to
The CIA source (Jomana Karadsheh 2014) showed that more than 15,000 foreign fighters, including 2,000 Westerners, have gone to Syria to be jihadists from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait then to Turkey, which is a main route for jihadists into Syria. The figure was reported in September, 2014, which means that the total number is still increasing. "This new total reflects an increase in members because of stronger recruitment since June following battlefield successes and the declaration of a caliphate, greater battlefield activity and additional intelligence," a CIA spokesman said. Iraqis and Syrians probably constitute more than 70% of ISIS fighters while there are about 30% percent of them are foreigners from Norway, America, Canada, Somalia, Korea, China, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Lebanon and other European countries such as Germany and France.
Besides the safety of the foreign fighters themselves, as more and more skilled professionals join the jihadists, the concern that they may try to attack outside Iraq and Syria has become extreme. ISIS’ s goal is “cleanse the area where the Muslim majority states are, and then go out and beat up the rest of the world.” said Richard Barrett (2014), a senior vice president at The Soufan Group. And they attract more and more foreign fighters who hold passports and require no visas to
Bibliography: 1. Drake Baer (2015) There’ s a troubling reason at the heart of tens of thousands flooding Syria and Iraq to become jihadists http://www.businessinsider.com/why-foreigners-join-isis-2015-4#ixzz3XXqoji9r 2. Jacob Siege (2014) ISIS is Using Social Media to Reach YOU, Its New Audience 3. Jason M. Breslow (2014) Why Are So Many Westerners Joining ISIS? http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/iraq-war-on-terror/losing-iraq/why-are-so-many-westerners-joining-isis/ 4. Jim Ashby, Mahimna Bhagwat and Tyler Malcolm’s fantastic comments from Quara 5. Jomana Karadsheh, Jim Sciutto and Laura Smith (2014) How foreign fighters are swelling ISIS ranks in startling numbers http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/12/world/meast/isis-numbers/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter 6. Mark Finkelstein (2015) New York Times Author Weaver Blames West for British Jihadists http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2015/04/16/new-york-times-author-weaver-blames-west-british-jihadists#sthash.popLUY1a.dpuf