Foreign Fighters: preventative action (UK mainly)

**davidbfpo** · 11-14-2014

Not exactly a surprising announcement by PM David Cameron:

British jihadists who travel abroad to fight could be prevented from returning under new powers outlined by the PM...the special exclusion orders - which could last for two years or more - would bar suspected fighters from entering the UK unless they agreed to strict controls.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30041923 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30048278

Just why this statement had to be made in Australia eludes me.

Nothing is said about state actions before aspiring fighters leave the UK, as the Quilliam Foundation note:

Furthermore, if implemented, it presents only a short-term solution to what is a long-term problem. Legislation should encourage citizens to return and face due process rather than force them to stay in a crisis zone and further radicalize either themselves or others in the UK through their online activities.

Link:http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/pr...nberra-speech/

Nor I would add nothing about those fighters who have already returned and presumably are unknown to the state.

**davidbfpo** · 11-16-2014

From Lawfare a short piece by Daniel Byman & Jeremy Shapiro, which address whether jailing returning fighters is good public policy:http://www.lawfareblog.com/2014/11/t...nd-back-again/

**davidbfpo** · 12-07-2014

The headline this week in The Guardian, after a terrorism trial where two young men from Birmingham pleaded guilty - anticipating a minimal two years sentence - and got twelve years:http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...P=share_btn_tw

One family had reported their son's departure for Syria, to the police and to say the least she is unhappy:

This is not justice. They said I was doing the right thing, that when my son came back they would try to help, but this terrible sentence – all they have done was to set me against my son.

The police say ‘mothers come forward’, you can trust us, we will help. But now they will see what happened to my son. What kind of person would go to the police if they think their son will get 12 years in prison? Nobody wants to do that. I did not want that.

He told me many times he wanted to come home....I wanted to go to Turkey, to go to the border and find him, bring him back. The British Foreign Office and the police said ‘you must not go’ but they then did nothing to get him home. They did nothing. My son is not a terrorist, he didn’t make bombs, he didn’t kill anyone, he tried to help. He did a stupid thing and when he realised this he wanted to come home.

The regional police CT leader:

This case typifies the challenges both police and families are facing when it comes to young people being influenced to join the conflict in Syria or Iraq.

These two men had no previous connections to extremist organisations and no police record. They were not known to us.....However, one of them was clearly being influenced by extremists he was talking to online, and he in turn was radicalising his friend. We had no choice but to arrest and charge the pair on their return.

An appeal has been lodged.

I expect the jihadists will be cheering this decision, it will reinforce the reluctance of families to volunteer information on their children being radicalised and travelling to Syria / Iraq.

A short, local BBC report also says this, plus the critical mother talking:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30370272

**davidbfpo** · 01-15-2015

An event yesterday @ The Frontline Club, London on the "wicked problem" 'The Fate of Foreign Fighters Returning from Syria and Iraq' with a panel with Shiraz Maher (Kings College's ICSR), Richard Barrett (now with the Soufanb Group, ex-SIS & UN) and Moazzam Begg (ex-GBay detainee):http://www.frontlineclub.com/the-fat...yria-and-iraq/

Recommended listening, it is hard at times.

**davidbfpo** · 01-19-2015

Sadly a story that is not unexpected, despite all the statements of intent from ministers and others - from the BBC:

The mother of a former jihadist has warned that unless more provisions are put in place to rehabilitate people returning from Syria, the UK risks a future of terror attacks. The woman, known only as "Linda" and from London, travelled to the Syrian borders last year to bring back her radicalised son. She said she has received no support to help reintegrate him back into society.
The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases.
But the 45-year-old mother told Inside Out London: "The government are aware that he went. Everyone has been informed and nobody's been forthcoming with any kind of offer of support.I went to various places to try and get him help but they've just said, 'you know, there's nothing we can do'."

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-30854621

**davidbfpo** · 01-24-2015

A C4 report based on two British citizens who went to Syria and have returned. There are is a film clip using two interviews, with some footage on the conflict and a less valuable studio session with experts:http://www.channel4.com/news/syria-b...-sham-fighters

One expert, Lord West, a former security minister, rightly points out there are two waves of those going to Syria; before Daesh and after Daesh. The hundreds (up to 250) who have returned I'd expect them to be overwhelmingly before Daesh.

**davidbfpo** · 03-26-2015

The title is taken from the commentary by the chair of the House of Commons Home Affairs select Committee (HASC), which today published its report 'Counter-terrorism: foreign fighters':http://www.publications.parliament.u.../933/93302.htm

Even WHAM gets a mention:

The number of cases being brought to public attention should ring alarm bells...This must be a relentless battle for hearts and minds, and without a strong counter-narrative we are in danger of failing to prevent even more departures. We are at the edge of a cliff.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32059813

The BBC has prepared a database of 160 known UK residents / citizens who have gone and in brief concludes:

The BBC has been tracking the stories of the men, women, boys and girls who have gone to Syria and Iraq to understand why they go, where they go from and what happens to them. By analysing around 160 profiles, it reveals the way in which people have travelled in clusters - a group of three young friends from Coventry, another group from Portsmouth, drawn out by one person they knew, others in Cardiff linked to people involved in an extremist organisation.
Social media might play a part but face-to-face contact appears just as, if not more, important, according to the database.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32026985

Their research found of the 160, 36 have died fighting; 13 have been convicted in the UK. Note most open source research, usually reliant on Kings College's ICSR refer to 600 having gone and IIRC 300 have returned.

Personally I do not consider the Uk is 'at the edge of a cliff', although the message that attracts them is undiminished and if remarks at IISS this week are an indicator still little understood. The numbers known to have gone remain small, for example Birmingham has one known fighter (from BBC data), although anecdote suggests at least another three went last year unknown to the authorities.

I just wonder what the 300 who reported have returned are thinking. Have we "won" their heards & minds?