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American Foreign Fighters: Implications for Homeland Security

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American Foreign Fighters: Implications for Homeland Security American Foreign Fighters: Implications for Homeland Security Final Report 31 August 2015 Prepared for the Department of Homeland Security HOMELAND SECURITY STUDIES AND ANALYSIS INSTITUTE The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Section 305 of PL 107-296, as codified in 6 U.S.C. § 185) authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, to establish one or more federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) to provide independent analysis of homeland security issues. Analytic Services Inc. operates the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI) as an FFRDC for DHS under contract HSHQDC-09-D-00003. HSSAI provides the government with the necessary expertise to conduct: crosscutting mission analysis, strategic studies and assessments, development of models that baseline current capabilities, development of simulations and technical evaluations to evaluate mission trade-offs, creation and evolution of high-level operational and system concepts, development of top-level system and operational requirements and performance metrics, operational analysis across the homeland security enterprise, and analytic support for operational testing evaluation in tandem with the government’s acquisition process. HSSAI also works with and supports other federal, state, local, tribal, public and private sector organizations that make up the homeland security enterprise. HSSAI’s research is undertaken by mutual consent with DHS and is organized as a set of discrete tasks. This report presents the results of research and analysis conducted under Task 14-01.03.11 Implications of Foreign Fighters for Homeland Security The issue of foreign fighters is a rapidly evolving one, with unprecedented numbers of persons joining the conflict in Syria, attracting a broader population of individuals than have entered previous conflicts. This study characterizes the threat posed by foreign fighters, to include examining cases involving U.S. persons who have traveled, or attempted to travel, abroad to join foreign terrorist organizations. Our primary focus was to identify the terrorism-related behaviors of these individuals in order to inform prevention and response activities. The results presented in this report do not necessarily reflect official DHS opinion or policy. TASK LEAD Erik R. Smith TASK TEAM Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute Matthew Phillips AMERICAN FOREIGN Catherine Meszaros Rochelle Love FIGHTERS: IMPLICATIONS Elizabeth Jones Sarah Nashed FOR HOMELAND SECURITY Distinguished Visiting Fellow William Modzeleski Final Report 31 August 2015 Wallace (Skip) Langbehn Manager, Threat and Risk Analysis Division Prepared for Department of Homeland Security Richard Kohout Director, Counterterrorism and Borders Mission Area American Foreign Fighters: Implications for Homeland Security For information about this publication or other research, contact HOMELAND SECURITY STUDIES AND ANALYSIS INSTITUTE Analytic Services Incorporated 5275 Leesburg Pike, Suite N-5000 Falls Church, Virginia 22041 Tel (703) 416-3229 • Fax (703) 379-2550 www.homelandsecurity.org Publication Number: RP14-01.03.11-01 ii American Foreign Fighters: Implications for Homeland Security TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... 1 Key Findings .............................................................................................................................. 2 Implications ............................................................................................................................... 2 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 5 1.1. Scope ................................................................................................................................ 6 1.2. Definitions ........................................................................................................................ 6 1.3. Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 7 2. Overview of the Current Foreign Fighter Threat ................................................................. 9 2.1. Motivations .................................................................................................................... 11 2.2. Recruitment .................................................................................................................... 12 3. Exploitation of Social Media to Recruit Foreign Fighters ................................................. 15 3.1. Multiple Platforms ......................................................................................................... 15 3.2. Innovative Networking Techniques ............................................................................... 17 3.3. Broad Content ................................................................................................................ 19 4. Foreign Fighter Travel .......................................................................................................... 23 4.1. Turkey: The Gateway for Western Foreign Fighters ..................................................... 23 4.2. Routes to Turkey ............................................................................................................ 24 4.3. Return Travel ................................................................................................................. 25 5. Key Findings from Foreign Fighter Data Set ...................................................................... 27 5.1. Overview ........................................................................................................................ 27 5.2. Social Media Characteristics from Data Set .................................................................. 29 5.3. Travel Characteristics from Data Set ............................................................................. 32 6. Foreign Fighter Implications for Homeland Security ........................................................ 43 Appendix A. Summaries of Foreign Fighter Cases ................................................................... 47 Appendix B. Engaging Non-Traditional Partners in Efforts to Combat Violent Extremism: The Education Community .............................................................................. 58 Appendix C. Methodology ........................................................................................................... 67 Appendix D. Selected Bibliography ............................................................................................ 71 iii American Foreign Fighters: Implications for Homeland Security (This page intentionally blank) iv American Foreign Fighters: Implications for Homeland Security EXECUTIVE SUMMARY One of the most pressing concerns for the Intelligence Community is the ongoing flow of foreign fighters to Syria and the threat they could pose upon return to their home countries. The battlefields in Iraq and Syria provide foreign fighters with combat experience, weapons and explosives training, and access to terrorist networks that may be planning attacks which target the West.… The United States and our allies are increasingly concerned with the more than 20,000 foreign fighters who have traveled to Syria from over 90 different countries. We assess at least 3,400 of these fighters are from Western countries including over 150 U.S. persons who have either traveled to the conflict zone, or attempted to do so … the trend lines are clear and concerning. The rate of foreign fighter travel to Syria is unprecedented. It exceeds the rate of travelers who went to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, or Somalia at any point in the last 20 years. —National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas J. Rasmussen1 Concerns regarding the foreign fighter threat continue to be expressed by U.S. govern- ment officials. The unprecedented number of persons joining the fight in Syria, the relative ease of travel to the conflict, and inadequate intelligence resources are some of the unique security challenges. From a homeland security perspective, there are implications for border security, intelligence, immigration, law enforcement, and countering violent extremism. This study examines the terrorism-related behaviors of U.S. persons who have traveled or attempted to travel abroad to fight with designated foreign terrorist organizations and identifies implications to inform homeland security decision makers. We conducted an extensive literature review to characterize current aspects of the broader foreign fighter threat. This review synthesized reporting on foreign fighter motivations, recruiting techniques, and the role of social media in furthering those objectives. We also sought to identify the current understanding of foreign fighter travel. An in-depth analysis of cases involving 63 U.S. foreign fighters (and aspiring foreign fighters) was used to provide context for the literature review, and identify characteristics exhibited by U.S. foreign fighters that are not widely discussed in the public literature. These cases are individuals who were publicly identified between December 2011 and May 2015. A focus of our analysis was to identify any terrorism-related behaviors these individuals
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