TerrorismEuropean, American jihadists training in Syria are the next major threat to the West
Islamic militants who travel back and forth between their home countries and Syria may be the next major threat to the West. Some al-Qaeda leaders have been leaving their posts in Pakistan and Afghanistan to go to Syria, with plans to help train the next generation of jihadis. During the 1990s, al-Qaeda used unstable regions in Afghanistan as a training ground for Islamist militants. Getting into Afghanistan was difficult, however, while gaining entry into Syria and then joining a rebel camp is easy due to Syria’s porous borders with Turkey and Lebanon and the decentralized nature of Syrian opposition groups.
Worries over European and American jihadis trained in Syria // Source: alalam.ir
Islamic militants who travel back and forth between their home countries and Syria may be the next major threat to the West. Western intelligence officials have confirmed reports of militants from Dagestan, and the Muslim communities of Europe and the United States, traveling to Syria to fight government forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
According to NBC News, officials are concerned that these militants may return home equipped with the skills to launch domestic attacks.
The ease of entry into Syria through Turkey or Lebanon has allowed many militants to spend a few months fighting Syrian government forces, then return home to recruit other militants to join the fight in Syria. In March, police in Spain and Morocco arrested seven suspected Islamist militants and charged them with recruiting and sending fighters to al-Qaeda-affiliated organizations in Syria. Spain’s Interior Ministry called the arrest “the most important” breaking of a cell said to be involved in sending Islamic militants to Syria.
While in Syria, these militants tend to join, and receive training from, the most radical elements of the Syrian opposition, including Al- Nusrah and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a branch of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Some al-Qaeda leaders are even leaving their posts in Pakistan and Afghanistan to go to Syria, with plans to help train the next generation of jihadis. According to Michael Leiter, former director of the National Counter Terrorism Cente, “the movement of more senior AQ leadership from outside the region is undoubtedly true.” He added, “I also think it is undoubtedly true that these folks, in addition to many others with the ISIL, are indeed looking to use Syria as a safe haven to launch attacks outside of Syria.”
During the 1990s, al-Qaeda used unstable regions in Afghanistan as a training ground for Islamist militants. Getting into Afghanistan was difficult, however, while gaining entry into Syria and then joining a rebel camp is easy due to Syria’s porous borders with Turkey and Lebanon and the decentralized nature of Syrian opposition groups.
Evan Kohlmann, a terrorism consultant with Flashpoint Partners, notes that “the chaotic nature of the conflict and the geographic proximity to Europe has opened the door to a motley crew of foreign fighters from around the world, many of whom wouldn’t have any chance of reaching a traditional al Qaeda fighting zone like the Afghan-Pakistani border,” he said. “They can also be especially hard to track because of the lack of a centralized command or communications structure among al Qaeda factions in Syria.”
