The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

19 Russians join Islamic State in Syria

 

Cross- cutting sources reported to SOHR that 19 men, the vast majority Russians, joined Islamic State Organization in Syria in late December.

 

The sources confirmed to SOHR that 19 men at least arrived on the Turkish territories as batches on pretext of celebrating New Year in Turkey, and then these groups moved successively to border areas adjacent to the northern eastern countryside of Aleppo where they gathered and entered within 2 groups to the IS- held area of al- Ra’i. The two groups could arrive on the city of al- Bab.

 

IS gathered and transferred them from the city of al- Bab to the stronghold of IS in the city of al- Raqqa in preparation for joining them to IS training camps.

 

In late October in 2014, SOHR documented joining of 40 fighters from al- Nusra Front, including an ex- emir and fighters insulated themselves from fighting, to IS  and going to the city of al- Bab, which is considered one of IS stronghold in Syria. The sources informed SOHR that IS presented a “sabeyyi” (woman as spoils of war) as a reward because he could join his group ro IS.

 

In October 10 2014, 10 members of al- Nusra Front, majority emirs and Sharia judges and 4 of them non- Syrians, had joined IS coming through the Turkish territories towards the city of al- Bab in the northeast of Aleppo.

 

In 9/26/2014, SOHR published that 73 men at least joined the Islamic State in the northern eastern countryside of Aleppo in 24th and 25th of this September after the beginning of strikes that have been carried out by the U.S. and Arab allies Coalition to combat IS, Jabhat al Nusra and other Islamic Movements that contains non- Syrian fighters. Among the fighters who joined IS, there were 41 fighters form the Jabhat al Nusra, the rebel and Islamic battalions who left their factions as well as 23 non- Syrian fighters who newly joined IS. In addition to, 5 fighters from different Arab nationalities as well as 4 others from European nationalities also joined the Islamic State.

 

 

In addition to, Reliable resources confirmed to SOHR that 162 people joined the IS military camps in the northern eastern and eastern countryside of Aleppo in September 10 and after the President Barack Obama’s speech where he has declared war on the Islamic States. Among those who joined, 15 fighters from different Arab and foreign nationalities, including 4 Australian persons entered to Syria through Turkish territories and 147 ex- Syrian combatants of al Nusra Front and the Islamic battalions.

 

 

It is worth mentioning that 6300 fighters joined to the training camps of the Islamic State in the two cities of Aleppo and Al Raqqa in the last July in 2013, where this is considered the widest process of recruiting fighters in the Islamic State’s ranks since the declaration of establishment in April/2013 in the city of Al Raqqa until it transferred to the Islamic State in  late  June/2014.

 

The fighters distributed as follows:

 

Nearly 5000 fighters from the Syrian nationality, including 800 fighters  who were ex-fighters in the rebel and Islamic battalions and in al Nusra Front  while the rest are new volunteers.

 

1300 fighters from Arab, European, Caucasian, East Asian and Chinese nationalities as well as Kurdish fighters, including 1100 fighters entered Syria through the Turkish territories while the rest joined after leaving al Nusra Front and the other Islamic battalions.