Publication

Nov 2016

This paper sheds light on the personal experiences of foreign fighters, primarily by examining an open source dataset that focuses on those who joined the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq. The paper's authors specifically focus on 1) how we conceptualize foreign fighters, including the jihadists among them; 2) what spurs these individuals to action and how they’re radicalized; 3) the actual experiences of foreign combatants on the battlefield; 4) the ‘returning home’ problems raised by these individuals; and 5) what overall challenges the foreign fighter syndrome raises for policymakers and practitioners.

Download English (PDF, 60 pages, 4.2 MB)
Author Arie Perliger, Daniel Milton
Series CTC Reports
Publisher Combating Terrorism Center (CTC)
Copyright © 2016 Combating Terrorism Center (CTC)
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