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U.S. State Department: Americans Among 12,000 Foreign Fighters in Syria

U.S. State Department: Americans Among 12,000 Foreign Fighters in Syria
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Some 12,000 foreign fighters from 50 countries, including Americans, have gone to fight in Syria since the conflict began, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.

U.S. State Department: Americans Among 12,000 Foreign Fighters in Syria
More than 100 U.S. citizens have traveled or tried to travel to Syria to join the conflict in the country, a U.S. official estimated.

U.S. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said, "We think that there are approximately 12,000 fighters from at least 50 countries in Syria -- foreign fighters, including a small number of Americans -- that may have traveled to Syria since the beginning of the conflict" more than three years ago.

"They may all not still be there," she said, without revealing an estimated number of Americans.

They have traveled to join extremist groups including the so-called "Islamic State" [IS], militants fighting against the Syrian government who have expanded into neighboring Iraq.

U.S. officials have been unable to identify an organized recruitment effort aimed at U.S. citizens, as is the case in Europe.

Moreover, Washington has publicly stated that Western fighters pose an especially dangerous risk, especially when they return to their countries of origin.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

 

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