Four thousand European fighters

The number of foreigners that decide to join the terrorist “cause” and join Jihadi organizations combating in Syria and Iraq is on the rise. According to recent estimates by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR), the total number of foreign fighters amounts to over 20 thousand, over a fifth of which are residents or citizens of Western European countries. The figures – released to SIR Europe by OECD – were collected by ISCR in cooperation with the Munich Security Conference. They include estimates regarding 50 world Countries for which were available and sufficiently reliable the official data drawn up by national governments. Except for certain Middle Eastern Countries all figures are based on estimates that date back to the second half of 2014 and they refer to the total number of travellers during the entire conflict.  Western Europe. 14 Western European Countries presented accurate data. Thus according to estimates, the total number of foreigners from Europe reached 4 thousand. These figures have almost doubled compared to the situation of December 2013 and exceed the latest estimates by EU officers. The highest number of Jihadi fighters are residents or nationals of Europe’s largest countries – France, the United Kingdom and Germany. France ranks first with 1,200 “combatants”, followed by  Germany and the UK with an estimated 500-600 people. But compared to the number of inhabitants, Belgium, Denmark and Sweden are the most heavily affected countries. In fact 440 fighters from Belgium have decided to join the terrorist “cause” in the Middle East out of a population of about 10.5 million inhabitants (i.e. 40 per million inhabitants). Significant numbers have been registered also in Northern Europe, such as in Denmark and Sweden.The rest of the world. The number of foreigners that have joined militant organizations in the Syria/Iraq conflict amounts to 20.730. For ICSR this makes the conflict in Syria and Iraq the largest mobilization of foreigner fighters in Muslim majority countries since 1945. It now surpasses the Afghanistan conflict in the 1980s, which is thought to have attracted up to 20,000 foreigners. With up to 11,000, the Middle East remains the dominant source of foreigners in the conflict with a peak of 1.500/3.000 from Tunisia followed by Saudi Arabia (1.500/2500) and Jordan (1.500). As many as 3,000 were from countries of the former Soviet Union. ISCR estimates that estimate that between 5-10 per cent of the foreigners have died.The roots causes of radicalism. What drives a person born and raised in Europe to enlist as a foreign Jihadi fighter? International research organizations and security are trying to respond to this question to address the root causes of this phenomenon and prevent it. “The question – an OECD officer told SIR Europe  – is understanding why people are attracted by radicalism.” At operational level it’s a complex issue that must equally envisage “the respect for human rights, the principle of freedom of expression and restrictions in case a person is reputed as radical fundamentalist.” There are several factors that lead to radicalization: association with other people; personal beliefs; search for a role in life. The OECD officer clarified:  “We should not associate radicalism with religion. Every terrorist act is first and foremost a criminal act.”