UN report says over 15,000 foreign radical Islamic fighters in Syria and Iraq. Yahoo/AP

ISIS fighters enter Mosul. Yahoo/AP.

The UN says in a new report that as many as 15,000 foreign fighters are working for terror groups in Iraq and Syria. Yahoo/AP. The numbers of fighters between 2010 and 2014 are now greater then the total number of foreign fighters between 1990 and 2010. The fighters come from 80 different countries including France, Russia, and Great Britain. This diversity is an asset for the terror groups since the fighters bring skills and talents the terror groups would not have access to otherwise. In particular it gives credence to ISIS claim that it is a cosmopolitan destination for all Suni Muslims. The UN calls on its member nations to do more to bar the travel of these foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria. 

My Comment:

It is important to note that not all of these fighters are joining ISIS. Other terror groups, like the Al-Qaeda allied Al-Nursra front, are also getting support. Still, the majority of these fighters are going to ISIS. Still, there are some things the article didn't mention. These fighters still have to assimilate into ISIS and will have difficulties with culture and language. There is also the problem that the residents in Iraq and Syria often resent these foreign fighters. Their actions alone would be difficult for the civilians to like but add in the language and cultural differences and there is a very good chance for resentment. 

These fighters do have a major impact on the battlefield. Many of them have combat experience and even those that have no real skills can either be trained or used as suicide bombers/fighters. They also have the advantage of being ideologically pure. These people have given up everything, their families, their possessions, even their country. They have already given up more then most people have, so they are devoted to the cause. That makes for a fearsome enemy.