International Center for Counter-Terrorism: 1,000 German ISIS in Iraq and Syria

According to a report from the International Center for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, there are more than 1,000 Germans in the ranks of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

According to a report from the International Center for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, there are more than 1,000 Germans in the ranks of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The report said that only 330 Germans had returned to Germany between 2014 and 2015, while hundreds of German foreign fighters remain in Iraq and Syria.

It added, that three thousand German fighters are active in the region or detained by the security forces, where the Kurdish forces are holding up to 200 German citizens in prisons and camps in northeastern Syria, and there is a high possibility that some of these individuals will return home at some point with the risks associated with plans targeting German soil, and as the ISIS insurgency continues in Iraq and Syria, its ability to coordinate operations with foreign fighters who leave the area is also likely to grow.

The report continued, “The Syrian Kurdish forces lack the capabilities and resources to continue arresting thousands of ISIS fighters and their families in prisons and camps in northeastern Syria, especially after the Turkish military incursion into northern Syria, which threatens to escape a large number of terrorists, while poor conditions in prisons and camps causes unrest among the detainees, and fears that coronavirus could spread to these detention centers could lead to additional riots and escape attempts. “

In March 2020, ISIS detainees attempted to escape from a prison for the SDF in Hasaka known to house foreign fighters, including some German citizens.