By Satgin Hamrah Associate Fellow at The Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts Univers...
By Satgin Hamrah
Associate Fellow at The Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and Editor-at-Large at E-International Relations
Introduction:
The
influx of foreign fighters into Iraq and Syria remains unabated as the Islamic
State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continues its offensive. This issue has
been exacerbated with the establishment of a so-called Caliphate and it will
continue to get worse as ISIL continues to expand its sphere of control and
influence. For many extremists worldwide, ISIL’s victories are an attractive
reason to join the terrorist organization and help it further its goals. [1] This strengthens ISIL’s
capacity to fight and terrorize the region. However, foreign fighters leaving
their home countries to join ISIL are a major concern to their home countries. It
is widely believed that after their time fighting in the Middle East, these
terrorists are likely to take their skills and knowledge back home and engage
in terrorist activities.[2] As such, it is vital for
the United States and its global partners, such as Germany, to develop and implement
measures that counter ISIL’s recruitment efforts on all fronts, including
partnering with local community and faith leaders, as well as developing a multinational
campaign that promotes information sharing by private citizens with law
enforcement.
Overview:
Foreign
fighters are an essential component of ISIL’s strategy. Their impact on success
levels has been immense. Many have superior fighting skills and are force
multipliers both in battle and in training new recruits. This has allowed ISIL
to successfully depend on the ability of relatively few fighters to be able to
out fight larger numbers of soldiers and militias. Thousands of these fighters
have joined this terrorist organization from across the globe,[3] from at least 90 countries
with the majority joining from the Middle East and North Africa.[4] Many have also joined from
other parts of the world including the United States, the European Union,
Russia and Australia. The rate of individuals traveling to join ISIL is
unprecedented. “…It exceeds the rate of travelers who went to Afghanistan and
Pakistan…Yemen or Somalia at any point in the last two years.”[5] However, the exact number
of foreign fighters is unknown. Moreover, as ISIL continues its brutal rampage
and achieves success it will continue to attract foreign fighters who believe
its success illustrates the “will of God.” This coupled with their ability to
adapt recruitment tactics to counter security measures will result in an
increase in foreign fighter recruitment. [6]
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| Copyright : CNN |
ISIL’s
ability to successfully recruit foreign fighters is due to its savvy global
marketing campaign[7]
and professional communication strategy.[8] Its “…slick use of
multimedia productions, its use of social media and personal peer to peer
communication are proving to be effective parts of a sophisticated program
aimed at the West.”[9]
This has resulted in an ability to successfully attract many Western recruits. [10] For example, online tools such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter,[11]
Tumblr, Ask.fm and other forms of social media are being used as recruitment
tools and as platforms for recruits to disseminate their views to followers
back home.[12]
Overall, its recruitment efforts and its targeting of individuals for
radicalization is “… a major problem for Muslim leaders in the West, who find
their communities targeted relentlessly by the slick propaganda churned out by
the media savvy...” terrorist organization.[13] This not only strengthens
their capacity to fight and terrorize the region, but it also has a severe
detrimental impact on the home countries of foreign fighters.
Implications:
The
threats posed by aspiring foreign fighters and returning ones is a real and
persistent problem.[14] As foreigners continue to
pour into the Middle East to join ISIL, they will undergo a radicalization
process, gain military training and become accustomed to brutality and violence.[15] This experience coupled with the skills attained
in fighting in a war zone will enhance their willingness to commit acts of
terrorism in their homeland and elsewhere. Moreover, given their insider
connection, experience and ability to understand the culture of their home
country and that of a jihadi, foreign fighters have the ability to return home
and effectively recruit fighters and engage in violent activities on behalf of
ISIL. It is widely believed that after their time fighting in the Middle East
these terrorists are then likely to take their skills and knowledge back home
to engage in terrorism. For example, ISIL has reportedly organized an English speaking
unit of foreign fighters called Anwar al-Awlaki Battalion, “…whose purpose is
to plan and execute attacks in English-speaking countries.”[16] Furthermore, not only are
these individuals more likely to commit acts of terrorism, their connection to
a well established network is also dangerous. This network will increase their
access to training, weapons and other resources, such as explosives. The result
is not only dangerous for the Middle East but for the international community
as well.
Conclusion:
ISIL
has emerged from obscurity to become the world’s most infamous terrorist
organization. Its brutal offensive in Iraq and Syria has helped it attain vast
amounts of territory, while simultaneously reconfiguring the region’s
geopolitical and security landscapes. Moreover, this terrorist organization
continues to challenge the regional interests of the West and poses a threat to
the stability and territorial integrity of the region. While the United States
and its allies may not be able to eliminate ISIL right away, they can better
control the environment and significantly hinder the organization’s ability to
sustain itself and grow. A strategy that
should be utilized is one that decreases its ability to recruit foreign fighters. More specifically, measures should be
developed and implemented that counter ISIL’s recruitment efforts on all
fronts. As noted earlier, this should include partnering with local community
and faith leaders, as well as implementing a multinational campaign that
promotes information sharing by private citizens with law enforcement. This
will greatly assist the United States and its allies to strengthen their ties
with people on the ground who can serve as a strong layer of defense against
ISIL recruitment.
About the Author:
References:
[1] Richard Barret,
“Foreign Fighters in Syria,” The Souhan Group (June 2014) http://soufangroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/TSG-Foreign-Fighters-in-Syria.pdf
(accessed July 14, 2014)
[2] Ehab Zahriyeh,
“How ISIL became a major force with only a few thousand fighters,” Al Jazeera
(June 19,2014) http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/6/19/isil-thousands-fighters.html
(accessed July 12, 2014)
[3]Louisa Loveluck, “Islamic
State, one year on: Where do its fighters come from?” The
Telegraph (June 8, 2015) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11660487/Islamic-State-one-year-on-Where-do-its-fighters-come-from.html
(accessed July 1, 2015)
[4] Jamie Crawford
and Laura Koran, “U.S. Officials: Foreigners flock to fight for ISIS, CNN (February 15, 2015) http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/10/politics/isis-foreign-fighters-combat/
(accessed July 3, 2015)
[5] ibid
[6] Alessandria
Masi, “ISIS Foreign Fighter Recruitment, Social Media Undeterred By New
Security Crackdowns,” International
Business Times (February 28, 2015) http://www.ibtimes.com/isis-foreign-fighter-recruitment-social-media-undeterred-new-security-crackdowns-1831764
(accessed July 1, 2015)
[7] Kevin
Johnson, “ISIL's sophisticated
recruiting campaign poses persistent threat in U.S.,” USA Today (April 26,
2015) http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/26/foreign-fighters-isil-fbi/26202741
(accessed July 10, 2015)
[8] Rima Marrouch, “How ISIS is growing and the fight to
stop it?” CBS News (September 14,2014)
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-focus-on-recruiting-foreigners-and-the-online-drive-to-stop-it/
(accessed July 12, 2015)
[9] Kevin
Johnson, “ISIL's sophisticated
recruiting campaign poses persistent threat in U.S.,” USA
Today (April 26, 2015) http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/26/foreign-fighters-isil-fbi/26202741
(accessed July 10, 2015)
[10] EuroNews,
“ISIL’s radicalization of foreign fighters,” EuroNews (May 21, 2015) http://www.euronews.com/2015/05/21/isil-s-radicalisation-of-foreign-fighters/ (accessed July 14, 2015)
[11] Daniel Byman
and Jeremy Shapiro, “Be Afraid be a little Afraid: The Threat of Terrorism from
Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq,”
The Brookings Institution http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/papers/2014/11/western-foreign-fighters-in-syria-and-iraq-byman-shapiro/be-afraid--web.pdf
(accessed July 1, 2015)
[12] Ibid
[13] Rima Marrouch, “How ISIS is growing and the
fight to stop it?” CBS News (September
14,2014)
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/isis-focus-on-recruiting-foreigners-and-the-online-drive-to-stop-it/
(accessed July 12, 2015)
[14] Kevin
Johnson, “ISIL's sophisticated
recruiting campaign poses persistent threat in U.S.,” USA
Today (April 26, 2015) http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/04/26/foreign-fighters-isil-fbi/26202741
(accessed July 10, 2015)
[15] Richard
Barrett, “Foreign Fighters in Syria,” The Souhan Group (June 2014) http://soufangroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/TSG-Foreign-Fighters-in-Syria.pdf
(accessed July 14, 2014)
[16] Kukil
Bora, “ISIS Continues Steady Recruitment As 20,000 Foreign Fighters Join Extremist
Groups In Syria, Iraq: Report,” International
Business Times (February 11, 2015) http://www.ibtimes.com/isis-continues-steady-recruitment-20000-foreign-fighters-join-extremist-groups-syria-1812440
(accessed June 20, 2015)
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