Flow of Westerners to Syria Prompts Security Concerns

New York Times ^ | January 15, 2014 | By ALISON SMALE

[Brad from Tennessee]

FRANKFURT — A week before international peace talks on Syria are to begin in Switzerland, Western leaders and intelligence officials are reacting with alarm to what they say are the rising numbers of young people leaving Europe and the United States to wage jihad against President Bashar al-Assad.

The public comments, which coincided with an international donors conference on Wednesday for victims of Syria’s war, have highlighted the issue Western nations face. Concerns over the continuance of what they call Mr. Assad’s dictatorial rule must be weighed against the threat that the rebellion, which the West supports, is creating a new generation of jihadists.

Across Europe, intelligence officials, police officers, social workers and teachers have reported an increased push in recent months by Islamist radicals to recruit young Europeans to fight on the Syrian battlefield. Most are men, but some women have also been drawn to Syria with the prospect of helping establish an Islamic state, according to German officials and experts monitoring the trend.

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In the United States, senior intelligence and counterterrorism officials told The New York Times in an article published last week that at least 70 Americans have either traveled to Syria, or tried to, since the conflict began there nearly three years ago. The officials also expressed concern that those going to Syria are radicalized to mount attacks after their return home. . .

[353FMG]

The West has become a major exporter of jihadists.

Makes one wonder how many trained jihadists are left in the West who have decided to wage their war against their “home” countries.

Hey y’all congresscritters, any comment on the situation?

[marron]

rising numbers of young people

Really? Swedes? Little Dutch girls? Italians?

Did they leave something out of the description?

[ptsal]

Change the demographic statistics for Minnesota, Detroit, and New Jersey....
Looks like a free fire zone if they can be found on foreign soil...or under the same....

[Nepeta]

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity to me.

The ones who go to Syria and die eliminate themselves permanently from the population of western countries.

The ones who survive and return to western countries have self-identified themselves as jihadis to be watched, making it easier to deport, observe, and otherwise neutralize.

[nascarnation]

The ones who survive and return to western countries have self-identified themselves as jihadis to be watched potential Hillary cabinet members.

[JSDude1]

I think we should just confiscate a small patch of land in the middle of Saudi Arabia (the desert) and then fence it off; after this is completed just put guards around the area and ship all Jihadists and Islamic Radicals to this section of the earth and let them fight amongst themselves until they all die off!