AP: 20,000 FOREIGN FIGHTERS FLOCK TO SYRIA, IRAQ

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06708883
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 19, 2018
• Case Number: F-2017-02575
• Publication Date: February 11, 2015

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CITE OSC RESTON VA 804312
WARNING: TOPIC: DOMESTIC ECONOMIC, DOMESTIC POLITICAL, HEALTH,
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL, LEADER, MILITARY, TECHNOLOGY, TERRORISM
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SERIAL:LIR2015021101313756
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COUNTRY: AFGHANISTAN, IRAQ, PAKISTAN, SOMALIA,
SYRIA, UNITED STATES,
YEMEN
SUBJ: (u/rrieu,44.- AP: 20,000 FOREIGN FIGHTERS FLOCK TO SYRIA, IRAQ
SOURCE: Doha Zaman al-Wasl in English 0021 GMT 11
Feb 15
Locals (UT7E175194
TEXT:
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(Zaman al-Wasl)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Foreign fighters are streaming into Syria and
Iraq
in unprecedented numbers to join the Islamic State or other
extremist
groups, including at least 3,400 from Western nations among 20,000
from around the world, U.S. intelligence officials say in an
updated
estimate of a top terrorism concern.
Intelligence agencies now believe that as many as 150 Americans
have
tried and some have succeeded in reaching in the Syrian war zone,
officials told the House Homeland Security Committee in testimony
prepared for delivery off Wednesday. Some of those Americans were
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arrested en route, some died in the area and a small number are
still
fighting with extremists.
The testimony and Other data were obtained Tuesday by The
Associated
Press.
Nick Rasmussen, chief of the National Counterterrorism Center, said
the rate of foreign fighter travel to Syria is without precedent,
far
exceeding the rate of foreigners who went to wage jihad in
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen or Somalia at any other point in
the past 20 years.,
U.S. officials fear that some of the foreign fighters will return
undetected to their homes in Europe or the U.S. to mount terrorist
attacks. At least one of the men responsible for the attack on a
satirical magazine in 'Paris had spent time with Islamic extremists
in
Yemen.
Meanwhile, the White House circulated a.proposal Tuesday that would
have Congress authorize the U.S. military to fight Islamic State
terrorists over the next three years. A formal request for
legislation is expected on Wednesday. �
Also at the White House, President Barack Obama praised Kayla Jean
Mueller, the young American whose death was confirmed Tuesday.
Mueller died while in Islamic State hands, though the group blamed
a
Jordanian airstrike, and Obama said, "No matter how long it takes,
the United States will find and bring to justice the terrorists who
are responsible for Kayla's captivity and death."
As for foreign fighters, officials acknowledge it has been hard to
track the Americans and Europeans who have made it to Syria, where
the Islamic State group is the dominant force trying to overthrow
the
government of President Bashar Assad. The U.S. Embassy in Syria is
closed, and the CIA has. no permanent presence on the ground.
"Once in Syria, it is very difficult to discern what happens.
there,"
according to Wednesday's prepared testimony of Michael Steinbach,
the �
FBI's assistant director for counterterrorism. "This lack of
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clarity
remains troubling."
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The estimate of 20,000 fighters, from 90 countries, is up from
19,000, -Rasmussen will tell the House committee, according to
prepared testimony. The number of Americans or US. _residents who
have gone or tried to go is up to 150 from 50 a year ago and 100 in
the fall.
Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the committee,
said in his prepared remarks that the Syrian war had.created "the
Largest convergence of Islamist terrorists in world history."
Sustained bombing by a U.S.-led coalition has not stopped the
inflow,
he noted.
McCaul's committee staff compiled from public sources a list of 18
U.S.. citizens or residents who joined or attempted to join the
Islamic State group, and 18 others who tried to or succeeded in
joining othe:r. violent Islamic groups. The list includes three
Chicago
teens and three Denver teens who were radicalized and recruited
online and were arrested after attempting to travel to Syria to
join
Islamic ,State fighters: It also includes Douglas McAuthur McCain,
33,
a Californian who died in August while fighting with the Islamic
State group near. Aleppo.
U.S. intelligence officials do not make public their estimate of
how
many Americans currently are fighting in Syria and Iraq. In
September, FBI director Jams:Comey said it was "about a dozen."
Francis X. Taylor, who heads the Homeland Security Department's
intelligence office, said in his prepared testimony for the hearing
that "we are unaware of any specific, credible, imminent threat to
the homeland."
However, he said, the department is concerned that Americans who
oin
violent extremist groups. in Syria "could gain combat skills,
violent
extremist connections and possibly become persuaded to conduct
organized or 'lone-wolf' style attacks that target U.S/. and Western
interests. We also have become increasingly aware of the
possibility
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that Syria could emerge as a base of operations for al-Qaida's
international agenda, which could include attacks against the
homeland."
Taylor said the U.S. is trying to instruct other,governments on how
best to track foreign fighters, indluding "how they can compare
airline manifests and reservation data against terrorist watch
lists
and other intelligence about terrorist travel." He said the U.S.
outpaces other countries in that effort.
The intelligence Officials also discussed the possibility of
homegrown attacks inspired by the Islamic State or al-Qaida but not
directly connected to the. groups. Rasmussen- of the counterterrorism
center appeared to downplay that threat, saying it "will remain at
its current level resulting in fewer than 10 uncoordinated and
unsophisticated plots annually from a pool of up to a few hundred
individuals, most of Whom are known to the (intelligence agencies)
and law enforcement."
McCaul said he fears the Obama administration is blind to the
looming
dangers of homegrown radicalism of the kind that led to the 2013
Boston Marathon bombing.
"We have no lead agency in charge Of countering domestic .
radicalization and no line item for it in the budgets of key
departments and agencies," he said. "I am also concerned that the
few
programs we do have in place are far too small to confront a
challenge that has grown so quickly..''
[Description of Source: Doha. Zaman al-Wasl in English -- Privately
owned Syrian opposition online newspaper carrying unique reporting
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by
a local network. of journalists . On Syrian domestic issues,
originally
established in the Syrian city of Horns in 2005; URL:
.:Ittp://www.zarana:ws:.nct/Qn:
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for national security purposes of the United States Government
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