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Stranger in a strange land

Foreign fighters are flocking to Syria

By S.B., G.D. and P.K.

THE beheading of an American journalist last month by a jihadist with a noticeably British accent underscores the degree to which the civil war in Syria is attracting youths from abroad. Some are motivated to contribute to the creation of a caliphate, or Islamic state; others simply to escape drab lives at home. Yet why some countries are more represented than others is hard to explain.

Tunisians are estimated to be the largest contingent, possibly because domestic turmoil has weakened the security forces’ ability to track them. Yet those from Saudi Arabia and Jordan, with intrusive intelligence agencies, are almost as numerous. Those countries have a history of home-grown jihadism, yet ideology or a history of domestic extremism is not a full explanation. Iraqis, who comprise the leadership of the Islamic State, the militant group most foreign fighters join, make up relatively few foot soldiers.

In the West, more fighters hail from France than Britain, perhaps because it has a larger Muslim population. Belgium, which has experienced ethnic and religious tensions in recent years, tops the number of fighters per person partly owing to its relatively small population. See our article in this week's paper here.

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