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drawkbox t1_j93or5c wrote

Sure beyond the obviousness of this going on here you go...

Russia, Chechnya and Dagestan and others supplied 5k fighters at minimum

> - Russia: 5,000 (380 returnees)

> - Tunisia: 4,000 (900 returnees)

> - Jordan: 3,950 (250 returnees)

> - Saudi Arabia: 3,244 (760 returnees)

> - Turkey: 3,000 (900 returnees)

> - Uzbekistan: 2,500

> - France: 1,910 (398 returnees)

> - Morocco: 1,699 (236 returnees)

> - Tajikistan: 1,502 (147 returnees)

> - China: 1,000

> - Germany: 960 (303 returnees)

> - Lebanon: 900

> - Azerbaijan: 900 (49 returnees)

> - Kyrgyzstan: 863 (63 returnees)

> - United Kingdom: 850 (425 returnees)

> - Indonesia: 800 (183 returnees)

> - Kazakhstan: 600 (113-128 returnees)

> - Libya: 600

> - Egypt: 600

> - Turkmenistan: 500

Origins of foreign fighters

> Fighters include those from the Gulf Arab states, Tunisia (following its own Tunisian revolution), Libya (following the Libyan Civil War), China, other Arab states, Russia, including the North Caucasus region, and Western countries. Some jihadist groups are dominated by a single nationality, as is the case with the Caucasus Emirate (Chechens) and the Turkistan Islamic Party (Uyghurs), or the pro-government Afghan Shia Liwa Fatemiyoun.

> A 7 December 2015 report by the Soufan Group gave estimates for the number of foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq by their country and region of origin based on information dated between 2014 and 2015. The study, which only included foreign fighters with ISIL, al-Nusra and other Sunni jihadist factions, listed the countries with the largest number of foreign fighters were Tunisia (6000), Saudi Arabia (2500), Russia (2400), Turkey (2100), Jordan (2000+) while the number of fighters by region was reported to be: the Middle East (8240), the Maghreb (8000), Western Europe (5000), former Soviet Republics (4700), Southeast Asia (900), the Balkans (875), and North America (289)

Russia plays multiple sides against each other within countries experiencing internal conflict, using these conflicts as a wedge to deepen its regional influence. The Middle East offers Russia many such opportunities for controlled strife.

Support Opposing Sides Simultaneously: Russia’s Approach to the Gulf and the Middle East

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byOlaf t1_j9420j2 wrote

I guess it's a question of phraseology. When you said 'most foreign ISIS fighters were from Russia', you meant 'the largest single contingent of fighters were Russian'. Right? Otherwise that chart proves the opposite of what you were saying. But I get your point. You think the preponderance of Russian troops implies Russian control of the situation. I don't think you've proven that, but I suppose it's probably not very provable as it were.

As for the rest of what you were saying... yeah. It's all pretty true. It's been the playbook for a long time. It's honestly one of Russia's greatest exports, the Paranoid State. That's the Soviet system of government, despite the label.

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drawkbox t1_j94656o wrote

Most foreign ISIS fighters are from Russia (Chechnya). The ones that aren't were pumped by Kremlin propaganda.

Nearly all the terror attacks in Europe (UK/France/etc) were by a Chechen or Russian, even the Boston bombings were Chechens. Most European terrorist attacks were Chechens.

The others were funded, fronted and supplied by Russian weaponry...

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