At least 170,000 foreign terrorists have fought under different banners throughout Syria’s civil war, all of whom were summoned with no other mission but to suppress the will of the Syrian people, according to Syrian Academician Dr. Ibrahim Salqini.
Over 80,000 foreign fighters have been recruited and traveled to Syria between 2013 and 2016 to fight alongside Daesh from countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France and the Caucasus. This recruitment has been ongoing since 2013.
Foreigners comprised up to 85 percent of Daesh terrorists, and despite the operation launched in mid-2016 to rout the terror organization from Iraq and Syria, over 20,000 foreign terrorists are still fighting alongside Daesh.
Iran first started sending convoys of thousands of Shia fighters to Syria in May 2013, at the time when Syrian opposition units were closing in on Assad’s palace in Damascus.
Shia fighters from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Bahrain and Lebanon helped bolster the collapsing Syrian Army.
Over 35,000 Shia terrorists fought against opposition forces on fronts across Syria, including Hezbollah, Army of Quds, Asaeb Ahl al-Haq and the Fatimiyyun Battalions.
After the attack launched by Daesh against Aleppo’s Ayn al-Arab in 2015, fighters from a large number of countries began pouring in to the region to fight alongside PYD terrorists.
In the years between 2012 and 2015, the number of foreign terrorists fighting under the banner of the PYD was limited to 150- 200, however, their numbers swelled in mid-2017 to reach 7,000 fighters.
These foreign terrorists established their own forces alongside PKK/PYD and called it the “The International Battalion,” which comprises of fighters from over 27 countries including, the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, UK, Armenia, Denmark, Russia, China and Korea.
Despite opposition from Turkey, the U.S. sent a large number of fighters from the YPG, a Syrian affiliate of the terrorist PKK organization, to take part in the Raqqa operation.
A photo of a 28-year-old U.S. soldier named Christian, taken in western Raqqa, was published by Reuters’ photojournalist Zohra Bensemra.
The soldier’s neck tattoo drew attention as it depicts an automatic firearm over which the words “Life is Pain” are written.
There’s a discrepancy in the salaries that fighters receive from different terror organizations. Iranian-backed Hezbollah pays its terrorists a monthly salary of $700, while Shia Afghan and Pakistani soldiers receive $150.
Daesh pays its married fighters $650 monthly, while those who are single receive only $200.
Those fighting among the ranks of the PKK/PYD terrorist organization receive monthly salaries ranging between $130- 250.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
The PKK has been conducting armed violence in the southeastern part of Turkey since 1984. More than 40,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the three-decade long conflict.
