The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a former al Qaeda affiliate, may soon be focusing on attacking Western countries, writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post.
ISIS, known for its brutal terror tactics against the Syrian regime, has allegedly provided combat training to foreign fighters joining the Syrian jihad.
Intelligence agencies are concerned that European jihadists joining ISIS and other groups could travel to the United States.
According to the Post:
About 10,000 to 15,000 foreigners have joined the opposition, traveling from such diverse locations as Chechnya, Australia, Libya, Belgium, and the United States. Intelligence analysts are said to be especially concerned about roughly 1,500 foreign fighters who hold European passports, which allow them to travel freely across the continent and to enter the United States with relative ease.
A former U.S. official cited in the piece said that the Syrian terrorist threat may be the "the most worrying development in the Middle East since the late 1970s."