--- description: More than 15,000 have already traveled title: ISIS: UN Says Fighters Going to Iraq and Syria on Unprecedented Scale image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb2ede17369071d3/6986a29b06f2c1dace330a31/isis.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Middle East](/tag/middle-east/) ## Middle East Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # More Foreign Fighters Are Going to Iraq and Syria Than Ever Before, UN Says  by [Naina Bajekal](/author/naina-bajekal/)  ## Naina Bajekal Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME. Oct 31, 2014 12:22 PM CUT  Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province in Syria, June 30, 2014. Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province in Syria, June 30, 2014.Reuters  by [Naina Bajekal](/author/naina-bajekal/)  ## Naina Bajekal Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME. Oct 31, 2014 12:22 PM CUT More than 15,000 foreign fighters have [traveled to Iraq and Syria](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/30/foreign-jihadist-iraq-syria-unprecedented-un-isis "undefined") to fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and similar extremist groups, according to a new United Nations report. The report, [obtained by the _Guardian_](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/30/foreign-jihadist-iraq-syria-unprecedented-un-isis "undefined"), warns that jihadists are traveling to fight on an “unprecedented scale” from more than 80 countries, including some that have not had previous links with al-Qaeda activity. Although the report to the UN Security Council did not give a full list of these countries, it said: “There are instances of foreign terrorist fighters from France, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland operating together.” The report also states the core of al-Qaeda remains weak but suggests that the decline of al-Qaeda has led to a boost in jihadist support for its successor groups like ISIS. The U.N. writes that ISIS is a “splinter group” of al-Qaeda but that the two groups “pursue similar strategic goals, albeit with tactical differences.” [Read more at _the Guardian_](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/30/foreign-jihadist-iraq-syria-unprecedented-un-isis "undefined") _Read next:_ [_ISIS Revenge Killings Reportedly Target Sunni Tribe in Iraq_](http://time.com/3550836/isis-isil-executions-sunnis/?xid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3550713/isl-isis-iraq-syria-un/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3550713/isl-isis-iraq-syria-un/"},"headline":"More Foreign Fighters Are Going to Iraq and Syria Than Ever Before, UN Says","datePublished":"2014-10-31T12:22:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:08:49.917Z","description":"More than 15,000 have come from more than 80 countries","url":"https://time.com/3550713/isl-isis-iraq-syria-un/","keywords":["Middle East","Syria","Iraq","ISIS","United Nations"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb2ede17369071d3/6986a29b06f2c1dace330a31/isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Naina Bajekal","jobTitle":"Bajekal was executive editor and international editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/naina-bajekal/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcb2ede17369071d3/6986a29b06f2c1dace330a31/isis.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province","caption":"Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province in Syria, June 30, 2014.","creditText":"Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/middle-east/","name":"Middle East"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3550713/isl-isis-iraq-syria-un/","name":"More Foreign Fighters Are Going to Iraq and Syria Than Ever Before, UN Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Why So Many Foreign Fighters Join ISIS","description":"A growing number of foreigners is joining the Islamic militant group - but why?","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xvTQSd5R/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-09-05T19:18:34.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xvTQSd5R.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3550713/isl-isis-iraq-syria-un/","duration":"PT2M58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3550713/isl-isis-iraq-syria-un/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```