Number of foreign terrorists in Syria exceeds 5,000

A new report says the number of foreign terrorists fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is now above 5,000.

According to the report published by the bimonthly American magazine, Foreign Policy, on Tuesday, the number of the militants fighting in the Middle Eastern country is also “higher than any previous conflict in the modern history of the Muslim world.”

The number includes more than a thousand militants from the West, the report noted.

The previous record-holder was Afghanistan, where a maximum of 4,000 foreign extremists were fighting in 1980s, it said.

The report warned over the increasing number of the militants in Syria, saying the easiness of getting into the Arab country has prompted the influx of foreign militants there.

It also warned of a series of consequences, including the strengthening of “radicals” in their home countries and “extremists linked to al-Qaeda terror network in Syria.”

A recent British defense study showed that about 100,000 militants, fragmented into 1,000 groups, are fighting in Syria against the government and people.

The extracts of the study by defense consultancy, IHS Jane’s, were published on September 16.

IHS Jane’s estimates that some 10,000 militants are fighting for groups affiliated with al-Qaeda such as al-Nusra Front, and the rest fight for different militant groups.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence.