For the first time, US spy chiefs have revealed an official estimate of 7,000 foreign Islamist fighters from 50 countries on the ground in Syria, saying they are mostly from Europe and the Middle East.
Estimates on foreign fighters by nation have varied widely, but of particular concern are many hundreds of fighters from EU member nations, who after the war will retain al-Qaeda contacts and EU passports that will give them access to virtually everywhere in the world.
With the Syrian Civil war dragging on longer than anyone had figured, the foreign fighters have stayed in Syria for the long haul, and more and more of them keep showing up, leading al-Qaeda and others to build training bases just for foreign brigades.
But when the war finally does end, those fighters will scatter around the world, using the training and indoctrination they are getting in Syria to launch strikes everywhere.
7000? That's nothing.
"Between 46,000 and 51,000 soldiers from both armies were casualties in the three-day battle."
– Wikipedia
That was at Gettysburg during our 'civil' war – just one battle.
Of course, soldiers did not hide behind women and children in those days.
That's relevant.
And who is hiding behind women and children, kidnapping nuns, eating livers, etc?
Obama and Bandar's "rebel army" of foreign mercenaries.
If this report is accurate, I see in the future a couple of Bin Laden's emerging,and with their training from the CIA it will be Afghanistan all over again.
All these wars do outside of mass destruction is educate these fighters.
The world has gone nuts and the human race have failed ourselves. religions is over rated and it also failed the human race. Maybe this is a wake up call to all of us. Wake up people fighting was never the answer to any problem. take a step back and look at the picture and shall see how wrong you are.
Does this include the Hezbollah terrorists and the Mollah Regime's IRGC goons fighting on behalf of the Assad Hereditary "republic"?
Only 7,000??
Either Bandar is losing his nerve or the Syrian Army is rightfully kicking butt and taking names.
Bandar isn't losing his nerve. Reading between the lines of war propaganda is a skill needed for this modern world. For example, in the west, we've seen constant reports for years now that try to say that the rebels are advancing on Damascus. But, when you pay attention, you find that at best they keep fighting over the same towns. Or at worst, you see multiple reports over months and years that the 'rebel's keep taking the same town. Leading of course to the obvious question about how they retook the town they previously took but you never saw a report of them losing the town. Each report is of course worded as if the rebels have made a monumental gain and are now getting closer to taking Damascus.
Then of course, you read non-NATO/non-gulf state sources and see reports of the Syrian army kicking butt and taking names, the latter of course via torture.
Syria 2012-???? becomes some kind of deformed, degenerate, post-modernist Spain 1936-1939.
As far as the 7000 is concerned, that's a number from US intel, one of the biggest backers of the buildup of foreign fighters in Syria who will clearly have an interest in minimizing the public understanding of the number.
Anyone remember the good ol days when "Al-Qaeda" was just a couple hundred fighters hiding in a cave in Afghanistan? After a decade plus of the Dubya/Obama Terror Wars, now they can put 7000 fighters in the field in Syria. Tell me again how we are 'winning'?
While it is alarming information, I just wish it came from a more reliable source. How do they know this? Does it come from the same guys who drone wedding parties? See what I mean?
Compare 7000 to Assad's 300,000 man army with 200,000 reservists. According to Syrian expert Joshua Landis, the foreign fighters inside Syria constitute about 5% of the rebel fighters.
The left wing has swallowed Assad's propaganda that the rebellion consists only of terrorists and foreign fighters.