Syrian Conflict Attracted 1 Jihadist from Bulgaria - Report

Politics » DEFENSE | April 3, 2013, Wednesday // 15:01

At least one Bulgarian national traveled to Syria to fight against the regime of Bashar al-Assad, according to a study.

A year-long survey by King's College London of more than two hundred martyrdom posts on jihadist-linked websites and hundreds of Arab and western press reports found that up to 600 individuals from 14 European countries had taken part in the conflict since it began in 2011.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in early 2011, an estimated 2,000-5,500 foreign fighters have gone to Syria to fight with opposition forces. Based on this total, the European share of this total represents 135-590 individuals, or 7-11 per cent of the foreign fighter total.

Based on the conflict totals, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) at King's College has estimated that 70-441 Europeans are still currently present in Syria.This suggests that most of the Europeans who have travelled to Syria are still on the battlefield.

Out of 249 foreign martyrdom notices, the study has identified 8 (about 3 per cent of the total) whose country of origin is European. They include one Bulgarian national.

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Tags: Syria, Bashar Al-Assad, Bulgarian, fighters, survey, European

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