Publication

This commentary discusses the implications of insurgents from the Caucasus region participating in the Syrian civil war. The author first addresses the origins of Chechen jihadism in the First Chechen War before focusing on the presence of around a thousand jihadists from the Caucasus in the Syrian insurgency. The author also contends that the Chechen insurgents in Syria represent a domestic security problem for Europe and Turkey as many of these fighters have not come from the republics in the Caucasus, but their own territory. He then outlines measures for Europe and Turkey on how to prepare for the danger of these insurgents returning from Syria.