Beirut: The flow of European fighters from Europe to territory held by Daesh is drying up due to tighter restrictions imposed by European states that have prevented would-be militants from travelling, fighters from the group said.
Fighters in Syria and Iraq contacted by Reuters said the impact was limited on the battlefield since European fighters make up only a fraction of Daesh forces.
“Now most of the [foreign] fighters are coming from Asian countries, like Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. They are tough fighters,” a Daesh militant who fought with the group in both Syria and Iraq, told Reuters via the internet.
Some also said that the restrictions might backfire on European countries when militants who are prevented from travelling to the Middle East are encouraged to wage individual attacks at home.
The presence of European fighters drew particular attention in the West last year when a man with a British accent appeared in videos of British and American prisoners being beheaded.
European countries have arrested people for recruiting for Daesh. Several have passed laws allowing travel documents to be seized from those who travel to fight.
About 550 German citizens have joined fighting in Syria and about 180 are believed to have returned, German officials have said. Germany plans to seize personal identity cards of would-be militants for up to three years according to a draft law.
France has cracked down on would-be fighters since mid-2014, ramping up a campaign after new anti-terrorism laws were passed by parliament late last year. French officials estimate that about 400 French citizens are in Syria, 180 have returned to France, 200 want to go and 200 are somewhere in Europe trying to get there.
British officials think some 600 people have gone to fight with Daesh, with 300 now returned. Police can now seize the passports of nationals trying to leave the country for up to 30 days, and can temporarily prevent citizens suspected of involvement with Daesh from re-entering Britain.
