MORE THAN 30,000 MILITANTS TRAVELLED TO SYRIA, IRAQ IN FOUR YEARS

Damascus,  6 Safar 1437/18 November 2015 (MINA) – Over 30,000 militants from across the world have traveled to Syria and Iraq over the past four years to join the ranks of radical groups in Syria and Iraq.

The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) said in a report on Tuesday that at least 8,000 European nationals have joined the armed group in Syria and Iraq since 2011, ARA News quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The majority of the foreign militants are fighting alongside the group of Islamic State (ISIS), while some have joined other armed groups such as Syria’s al-Qaeda branch of al-Nusra Front.

The IEP’s report, based on estimates of the Global Terrorism Index, also revealed that about 15,000 militants who have joined the conflicts in Syria and Iraq came from neighboring Arab countries and North Africa.

According to the report, about 7,000 of the entire figure traveled to Iraq and Syria in the first six months of 2015.

The IEP emphasized on Tuesday that the influx of foreign militants into Syria and Iraq does not appear to be diminishing.

The statistics come amid a heated international debate about the rising threat of terrorism emanating from Syria, as the November 13 attacks in Paris, which were claimed by the ISIS group, killed over 130. (T/P001/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)