Foreign fighters in the Iraqi conflict

During the course of the Syrian Civil War many foreign fighters have been documented to have fought for Syria's rebel forces, either for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (which has elicited the biggest international response), Nusra Front , the Free Syrian Army or other factions. Many foreign fighters have also died in the conflict. Fighters include those from the Gulf Arab states, Tunisia (following its own Tunisian revolution ), Libya (following the similar Libyan Civil War ), Bosnia, China, other Arab states, Russia's Chechnya and North Caucasus region and Western countries (despite warnings of radicalism from those governments). The conflict has taken on a largely sectarian bent with foreign Sunnis fighting for the opposition, while foreign Shias fight for the government. Estimates of the total number of foreign Sunnis who have fought for the rebels over the course of the conflict range from 5,000 to over 10,000, while foreign Shia fighters are thought to number around 10,000 at the most. Over 600 foreign fighters were killed in the first half of 2013 alone. Guide to Syria in Crisis .

Afghan militiamen of Liwa Fatemiyoun during the Palmyra offensive (December 2016) British fighters of the International Freedom Battalion 's 0161 Antifa Manchester Crew in Rojava Foreign fighters have fought on all four sides of the Syrian civil war , as well both sides of the War in Iraq . In addition to Sunni foreign fighters, Shia fighters from several countries have joined pro-government militias in Syria, leftist militants have joined Kurdish fighting forces, and other foreign fighters have joined jihadist organizations and private military contractors recruit globally. Estimates of the total number of foreign Sunnis who have fought for the Syrian rebels over the course of the conflict range from 5,000 to over 10,000, while foreign Shia fighters numbered around 10,000 or less in 2013 rising to between 15,000 and 25,000 in 2017. The presence of foreign jihadists, particularly in anti-government groups, steadily grew throughout the Syrian Civil War. In the early insurgency phase mid-2011 to mid-2012 , their presence was negligible. In the mid-2012 to late 2013 escalation phase , their numbers grew, but they were still far outnumbered by Syrian resistance fighters (only around twelve hundred foreign anti-government jihadists were killed in Syria in 2013). Throughout 2014 , with the rise of Islamic State (Da'ish) , the al-Nusra Front , and other groups, their numbers drastically increased and they partnered with and absorbed Syrian rebel groups, both jihadist and non-jihadist. By 2015, foreign jihadists outnumbered Syrian jihadists and other rebels in casualty rolls (16,212 anti-government foreign jihadists were killed in 2015 compared to 7,798 Syrian anti-government rebels killed that same year), a trend that carried over into 2016 (13,297 foreign jihadists and 8,170 Syrian rebels), and 2017 (7,494 foreign jihadists and 6,452 Syrian rebels). However, although the numbers of casualties remained high in this phase, arrivals slowed: according to the United States military, foreign fighters coming to Syria and Iraq in 2013-2015 averaged 2,000 fighters per month, but by 2016, this figure had dropped to less than 500 fighters per month and decreasing. By 2018, the proportion of foreign fighters had far decreased (following heavy losses in the bloody battles of 2015-2017 and various interventions by foreign military forces), and Syrian rebels were once again the majority of anti-government casualties (2,746 foreign jihadists killed compared to 5,852 Syrian rebels). According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , at least 65,726 anti-government foreign fighters (almost entirely jihadists) were killed in Syria up to May 2020, constituting nearly half of the 138,202 anti-government fighters killed by that point. Additionally, 10,045 foreign fighters on the side of the Syrian government were killed by then (1,700 Lebanese Hezbollah and 8,345 others, including 2,000+ militiamen of Liwa Fatemiyoun ) and 264 Russian soldiers and mercenaries. Guide to Syria in Crisis . U.S. military softens claims on drop in Islamic State's foreign fighters. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition, told Reuters that the official estimate is higher than the one Gersten offered, although he did not provide a precise figure. "We believe the foreign fighter flow was 2,000 at one point and is now down to a quarter or less of that," Warren said." "Syria is still bleeding … more than 55,000 thousand persons were killed during the year of 2015 | Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 31 December 2015. "About 60 thousand were killed in 2016 and we still wait for an international trial for the criminals • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 31 December 2016. "2017…the year of the military change and the rise of the regime and its allies to head the list of military powers and influences followed by the SDF…and the loss of the opposition and the organization to large spaces of their controlled areas • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 28 December 2017. 2018 under different titles...the death of about 23,000 persons, the displacement of hundreds of thousands others, shifts in the influence of the conflicting powers, and regional and international agreements of de-escalation and withdrawal . Fourteen years of championing human rights in Syria Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

Afghan militiamen of Liwa Fatemiyoun during the Palmyra offensive (December 2016) Foreign fighters have fought on all four sides of the Syrian Civil War , as well both sides of the War in Iraq . In addition to Sunni foreign fighters, Shia fighters from several countries have joined pro-government militias in Syria, leftist militants have joined Kurdish forces, and other foreign fighters have joined jihadist organizations and private military contractors recruit globally. Estimates of the total number of foreign Sunnis who have fought for the Syrian rebels over the course of the conflict range from 5,000 to over 10,000, while foreign Shia fighters numbered around 10,000 or less in 2013 rising to between 15,000 and 25,000 in 2017. Throughout 2014 , with the rise of Islamic State , the Al-Nusra Front , and other groups, their numbers drastically increased and they partnered with and absorbed Syrian rebel groups, both jihadist and non-jihadist. By 2015, foreign jihadists outnumbered Syrian jihadists and other rebels in casualty rolls (16,212 anti-government foreign jihadists were killed in 2015 compared to 7,798 Syrian anti-government rebels killed that same year), a trend that carried over into 2016 (13,297 foreign jihadists and 8,170 Syrian rebels), and 2017 (7,494 foreign jihadists and 6,452 Syrian rebels). However, although the numbers of casualties remained high in this phase, arrivals slowed: according to the United States military, foreign fighters coming to Syria and Iraq in 2013-2015 averaged 2,000 fighters per month, but by 2016, this figure had dropped to less than 500 fighters per month and decreasing. By 2018, the proportion of foreign fighters had far decreased (following heavy losses in the bloody battles of 2015-2017 and various interventions by foreign military forces), and Syrian rebels were once again the majority of anti-government casualties (2,746 foreign jihadists killed compared to 5,852 Syrian rebels). According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , at least 65,726 anti-government foreign fighters (almost entirely jihadists) were killed in Syria up to May 2020, constituting nearly half of the 138,202 anti-government fighters killed by that point. Additionally, 10,045 foreign fighters on the side of the Syrian government were killed by then (1,700 Lebanese Hezbollah and 8,345 others, including 2,000+ militiamen of Liwa Fatemiyoun ) and 264 Russian soldiers and mercenaries. Guide to Syria in Crisis . U.S. military softens claims on drop in Islamic State's foreign fighters. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition, told Reuters that the official estimate is higher than the one Gersten offered, although he did not provide a precise figure. "We believe the foreign fighter flow was 2,000 at one point and is now down to a quarter or less of that," Warren said." "Syria is still bleeding … more than 55,000 thousand persons were killed during the year of 2015 | Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 31 December 2015. "About 60 thousand were killed in 2016 and we still wait for an international trial for the criminals • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 31 December 2016. "2017…the year of the military change and the rise of the regime and its allies to head the list of military powers and influences followed by the SDF…and the loss of the opposition and the organization to large spaces of their controlled areas • The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights" . 28 December 2017. 2018 under different titles...the death of about 23,000 persons, the displacement of hundreds of thousands others, shifts in the influence of the conflicting powers, and regional and international agreements of de-escalation and withdrawal . Fourteen years of championing human rights in Syria Syrian Observatory for Human Rights