UN seeking action to curb foreign fighters

The UN Security Council plans to demand that countries stem the flow of people joining extremist groups like Islamic State, whose fighters – about half of them foreigners – control vast swathes of Iraq and Syria

FOREIGN FIGHTERS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA: Numbers by country of origin
Iraq
Syria

1,000+
500-1,000
100-500
Under 100
No data

Numbers by region Rounded figures

Middle East 5,200

North Africa 5,800

Western countries 3,000

Rest of world 2,300

Total foreign fighters 16,300

All numbers based on official figures and estimates between 2013 and 2014, and ICSR analysis. Includes fighters who have returned to their home countries

Most fighters

= Western countries

Tunisia
Saudi Arabia
Jordan
Morocco
Lebanon
Russia
France
Libya
UK
Germany
Turkey
Egypt
Pakistan
Belgium
Australia
Algeria
Kazakhstan
Netherlands
Albania
Kosovo
3,000
2,500
1,500
1,500
900
800
700
600
500
400
400
360
330
300
250
200
150
150
140
120

Picture: Associated Press

Sources: International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), Twitter