From American Overlook

Al Jazeera

Photo: Al Jazeera

U.S. intelligence officials are becoming increasingly concerned with the influx of Westerners to Syria to help fight in its civil war.

While there aren’t an alarming amount of Americans traveling to Syria to participate in the jihad, intelligence officials are worried that those who do fight in Syria may bring back their training skills and experience in the battlefield to harm innocent Americans.

“All the folks there from all over the world, including the United States, will be coming home if they do not meet their end on the battlefield,” declared Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Intelligence.

While Rogers’ skepticism is met by many, some officials suggest the number of Americans who’ve actually gone to Syria is too low for concern. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy estimates there are anywhere between 10 and 20 American jihadists in Syria, although there are far more Europeans participating in the Syrian civil war—between 700 and 1,000 people.

Despite criticism from the left, Rogers emphasized the war in Syria is a “jihadist magnet.”