"I ended up running for my life, barefoot
and handcuffed, while British jihadists --
young men with south London accents
-- shot to kill. And not a Syrian in sight.
This wasn't what I had expected."
— John Cantlie, British photographer
**
More than 1,000 Muslims from across Europe
are currently active as Islamic jihadists, or
holy warriors, in Syria, which has replaced
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia as the
main destination for militant Islamists seek-
ing to obtain immediate combat experience
with little or no official scrutiny.
As the number of European jihadists in Syria
grows, European officials are beginning to
express concerns about the threat these
"enemies within" will pose when they
return to Europe.
In Britain, for example, Foreign Secretary
the number one destination for jihadists
anywhere in the world today. This includes
a number of individuals connected with the
United Kingdom and other European countries.
They may not pose a threat to us when they
first go to Syria, but if they survive, some may
return ideologically hardened and with ex-
perience of weapons and explosives."
(...)
In France, the daily newspaper Le Figaro reported
on March 13, 2013 that "at least 50" and "as many
as 80" French citizens are fighting with jihadist
groups in Syria. The number is far higher than the
"handful" claimed by French Interior Minister
Mali, or the estimated number of Frenchmen who
went to Bosnia, Iraq or Afghanistan to wage jihad.
**
Leading French anti-terrorism Judge Marc Trévidic
told Le Figaro that the presence of so many French
jihadists in Syria presents French authorities with
an uncomfortable paradox. Because France officially
supports the effort to overthrow the Assad regime
-- France was the first Western country to recognize
Syria's rebel council as the country's legitimate inter-
locutors -- it is difficult for the French government
now to come out and say that it does not support
those who are fighting the war.
Trévidic said Syria was a natural destination for
French jihadists. There are no visa requirements
for French citizens to enter neighboring Turkey,
where it is easy to find Syrian contacts and then
cross a porous border. He also said that trained
and experienced jihadists, once back in France,
could become a dangerous problem for the
authorities.
"No one," Trévidic said "is trying to stop them
going into Syria;" he then referred to their fight
as an "authorized jihad."
He added: "It is particularly complicated to qualify
their adventures in Syria as acts of terrorism.
But let's not be fooled. A good proportion of them
are going there in the hope of helping to establish
a radical Islamic state. The actual terrorism will
begin just as soon as the Assad regime is defeated."
***
***
som regelbundet bevakar jihadismens utbredning.
På senare tid bl a jihadister från Norden som
stupar i Syrien.
Men de var inte först med att misslyckas
under sin jihad:
.jpg)