Publication

This paper examines the probable threats foreign fighters will pose after they leave the so-called Islamic State's shattered territories in Syria and Iraq. The report's authors specifically conclude that 1) the fighters who survive the civil war will be the most operationally experienced, lethally skilled, and most closely connected jihadists to date; 2) it will be critically important for international security agencies to understand the networks that these foreign fighters form, the routes they intend to use to leave Syria and Iraq, and their intentions once they have left the battlefield; and 3) the latter expertise will require a coordinated international response, rather than just multiple national approaches.