ISIS attacking ancient, iconic Palmyra in Syria

Thousands of foreigners are believed by intelligence services to have traveled from across the planet to fight in extremist groups in Syria and Iraq. They are like predators buzzing around dying prey! The flood of young men and women from all corners of the globe to join the Islamic State (IS) and other groups operating in the power vacuums of northern Iraq and Syria has prompted concerns among security agencies in their home countries over the potential threat they represent if and when they return.

Often they recent converts to Islam and sometimes, are scarcely able to articulate the reasons behind their decision to join the fight. These recruits are from a generation that came of age using social media, and their tweets and postings.

Secular moderates are almost gone -- and the Syrian war has become anything but Syrian. President Bashar Assad is often said to be "brutal", by a mass-media that uses tired and refuted 'evidence' of this, but now regional sectarian ties have turned Syria into an international battleground rife with fighters, funding and weapons from around the world.

Iranian's support into Assad’s forces began in late 2012, when the Free Syrian Army was making major gains, thanks to U.S. military advisers.

Hijra is an Arabic word meaning “emigration”, evoking the prophet Muhammad’s historic escape from Mecca, where assassins were plotting to kill him, to Medina. For most Islamic extremists today, the concepts of hijra and jihad are intimately linked.

Overpopulation, and immigration, has irrevocably been a force in the spread of Islam.

According to research conducted by Peter Neumann of King’s College London, along with Atran and others, the particular goal of establishing a state under Islamic law has shifted noticeably to establishing sharia law and supporting the institution of the caliphate, regardless of the wishes of the local Syrian population.

The United States has begun a long-awaited program to train Syrian fighters to go into combat against Islamic State, the Pentagon said on Thursday, deepening America’s role in Syria’s civil war after eight months of airstrikes against the Sunni militants.

U.S. military starts training Syrian fighters to combat Islamic State (7/5/15) | The Globe and Mail

Critics say that theoretical limitation is unlikely to withstand the realities of Syria’s messy civil war. The civil war has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions since 2011, despite repeated diplomatic efforts to resolve it.
Should Assad's government crumble, Syria could face greater instability and control by extremist groups, U.S. security officials are warning. The U.S. is watching closely to see if Iran and Russia step in to bolster Assad with weapons and supplies as they have in the past.

Remarkably, some media outlets reported that Assad told his visitors, "Some European countries are committing a grave mistake by allying with countries supporting terrorism."

The members of a Belgium delegation were reported as saying, "Syria constitutes the first line of defense in the face of extremism and terrorism. It is the only country fighting terrorism on the ground. If this line is defeated, terrorism will largely reach European countries. This is why we have to support Syria in this war." According to reports, the parliamentarians continued, "Many Western parties and officials now believe in this." This quote has been confirmed by former Lebanese Minister Wiam Wahhab, who told Al-Monitor he heard the Belgian delegation say it more than once.

Read more: Belgian delegation expresses support for Assad (17/5/15) | Lebanon Pulse

Any struggling nation, especially a secular one, could now follow this model of migration, extremism and military intervention.