INSS Insight No. 554 : The (Bloody) Return Home: “Syrian Alumni” and the Stability of the Arabian Peninsula

MESOP INSIGHT

by Yoel Guzansky, Yoram Schweitzer, Noa Katzir, and Elad Hochman, INSS – The presence of foreign fighters in Syria and the danger posed by their return to their countries of origin could create a security problem for many countries inside and outside the region, if only because of the large number of combatants and the many different countries from which they come. There is already evidence of “Syrian alumni” becoming involved in terrorist activity in their countries of origin and in various combat zones in the Middle East.

For example, Syrian alumni in Egypt have reportedly joined Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, which operates in Sinai against Egyptian military targets on the border with Israel and attacks government, security, and economic targets in Egypt proper. The return of volunteers from Syria has also contributed to the sectarian violence in Lebanon between Shiite supporters of the regime and Sunni supporters of the opposition. Moreover, Western security agencies have likewise warned of the danger posed by the return of Muslim Syrian alumni to their native countries. Read all: http://www.inss.org.il/index.aspx?id=4538&articleid=7034