The number of fighters from Russia and Central Asia joining the Islamic State (IS) has quadrupled compared to last year, and shows no sign of stopping.

Abu Omar al Shishani (in blue shirt), whose real name is Tarkhan Batirashvili, appears in a video of Russian-speaking IS fighters. He was a Georgian army officer before going to Türkiye in 2012 to join IS. Photo: Mcclatchydc

According to the Daily Beast, the number of foreign fighters pouring into Iraq and Syria continues to rise, but Russia and Central Asia have seen the most dramatic increases over the past year. Some estimates suggest the rate of increase could be as high as 300%.

With approximately 2,400 fighters, Russia is believed to be the third-largest source of foreign fighters joining extremist Islamic groups in Syria and Iraq, according to an analysis by the New York-based security consultancy Soufan Group.

As of June 2014, an estimated 800 Russian fighters were involved in the conflict in the two aforementioned Middle Eastern countries.

"In comparison, this growth rate is much higher than that of Western Europe over the same period," Soufan Group wrote in the report.

Only two countries have a larger number of fighters than Russia: Tunisia, with around 6,000 fighters, and Saudi Arabia, with 2,500. Jordan is also among the countries with the most citizens going to Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate, with around 2,000-2,500 people.

The vast majority of Russian fighters come from the North Caucasus region, including Chechnya and Dagestan, areas long known for extremist Islamic movements.

"The grievances of local residents have long been a driving force behind radicalization in the Caucasus region. Because Russian security agencies have been able to restrict their activities at home, ISIS has become an attractive alternative," Soufan Group noted.

Sending fighters to Syria and Iraq to gain combat skills could lead to attacks on Russian soil once they return. The most recent evidence includes the Paris terrorist attacks carried out by French and Belgian citizens who had fought in Syria, as well as ISIS claiming responsibility for bombing the Russian plane in Egypt in October.

In a statement in October, President Putin confirmed that a special task force would be formed to strengthen border checks with former Soviet republics. These are regions that have seen a rapid increase in the number of fighters going abroad to fight in the past year.

According to Soufan Group, among the 15 former Soviet republics, 12 have fighters deployed to Syria. An estimated nearly 2,000 of these fighters originate from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Putin has previously claimed that between 5,000 and 7,000 people from Russia and former Soviet Union countries have joined IS. A report by Soufan Group, however, puts the number at 4,700.

Regardless of the exact figures, an alarming number of fighters are leaving the area to join IS, and they left before Russia began its airstrike campaign in Syria in September.

It is still too early to determine what impact a more aggressive approach by Russia in Syria might have on its own people. Over the past 18 months, the number of fighters from North America has not increased significantly, even though the US has been at the forefront of the coalition airstrikes against ISIS.

"This suggests that the motivations for those joining extremist groups in Syria and Iraq are more personal than political," Soufan Group noted. "Seeking a place to belong, purpose, adventure, and camaraderie appear to be the primary reasons for joining ISIS. Yet these are the issues least discussed in international counter-terrorism efforts."

Just 18 months ago, the number of foreign fighters in Syria was believed to be around 12,000-15,000. Now that number appears to have doubled. Through its investigation, Soufan Group discovered that approximately 27,000-31,000 people from at least 86 countries have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS and other extremist groups.

This report is consistent with recent US intelligence assessments that since 2011, nearly 30,000 foreign fighters from more than 100 countries have traveled to Iraq and Syria.

Western European countries have seen the number of foreign fighters double over the past year, reaching 5,000 currently, compared to 2,500 in June 2014. France, the UK, Germany, and Belgium are the largest contributors to this figure, with nearly 3,700 fighters each.

In the US, FBI Director James Comey said that an estimated 250 Americans have traveled to or attempted to travel to Syria. In 2014, that number was only about 70.

According to VNE