FBI Director James Coney today warned that the long-standing problem of foreign fighters flocking to Syria to join al-Qaeda-linked rebels is actually getting worse, with fighters going in increased numbers from Western nations in recent months.
Though Comey declined to offer specific numbers, he said the flow of fighters had increased considerably, and that dozens of new Americans, along with thousands of Europeans, had gone to Syria in the past several months.
The concern is that the fighters, motivated by ideology, will be recruited by the al-Qaeda leaders running the rebel factions, and will return to the US and Europe with orders for attacks here, and with passports that give them access most jihadists simply wouldn’t have.
Comey likened the flow of fighters to Syria to the number of fighters who went to Afghanistan to join the anti-Soviet jihad in the 1980s, warning the real problem was going to come when the fighters finally leave Syria.
I can't remember such movements being a problem when Western "fighters" went to Afghanistan to shoot up some Soviet occupiers.
Wait a minute! American and European fighters going to Syria by the thousands to fight against the Syrian government and to help depose it? ODD! I thought for sure this 4 year rebellion in Syria was an indigenous one sustained by the Syrian people themselves without any help from the outside. Where do you think I got that idea from? hmm Go figure!
Well if that's the case, why no one is in a panic mode….? unless they are willing to cut off their nose to spite their face. Terrorism equal, "military contractors." I guess that's what makes the world go round.
Jihadists from all over the World ascending on Syria . Not to bring freedom and democracy but fear and Islamic law in Syria with shariah law and more honor killings . This is what the United States is supporting in Syria . This is what NATO brought to Yugoslavia , Bosnia , Kosovo , Iraq , Libya and Egypt too .
China has the right policy , if their Muslims leave China to go on a Islamic Jihad in a foreign country , they can not come back into China alive . I fear the United States is supporting the wrong side again
Obviously, Washington, unable to increase the minimum wage for its own citizens, has dramatically increased its pay scale for the many thousands of Al Qaeda terrorists that we employ, to go along with their shiny new TOW missiles. One can only assume that we, or Israel, or Turkey, will also further update "our" Al Qaeda's poison gas capability so they will not botch the next false flag gas attack, like they botched the job last summer. We just need to train them better!
In this US- Israeli supported and instigated human tragedy, the pictures of "our" Al Qaeda eating the hearts of prisoners, or the recent photos of their crucifying prisoners, are the new "Uncle Sam wants you" recruiting posters.
these folk are no longer "americans" hope they die there and if not they should never be allowed to return to the usa! they are pure scum!
What do you mean; they're exercising our "responsibility to protect," as our government and its propagandists, especially John McCain and Lindsey Graham, so zealously tried to do last fall. You blame these guys for believing their government's propaganda? I suppose you blame American soldiers as well for going to Iraq to put the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq in power as was George E. Bush's policy?