THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Radical British Islamists are travelling to Syria in greater numbers than all other theatres of war, a senior British official has said.
The numbers of young British Muslims travelling to fight with extremist groups battling the Syrian regime has escalated to the point where the conflict already poses a "major threat" to Britain's stability and security.
"This is a horrific situation that is now on a grave trajectory," the official said. "We now have more British jihadists going to Syria than all the other areas of conflict, be it Afghanistan, Pakistan or Yemen combined."
The government is examining ways of isolating jihadist groups in Syria, as Whitehall considers plans to increase assistance to rebels, including sending arms.
Security experts fear a new generation of radicals intent on a career of jihadist warfare is gaining training and experience of war in Syria. The exodus from British towns and cities is believed to have risen to levels last seen decades ago when the Bosnian and Afghan conflicts were at their height. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Thursday, March 14, 2013
