Foreign Office investigates reports of Britons among Islamist kidnappers of journalists in Syria

Source: The Telegraph

Colin Freeman, Antakya 9:10PM BST 28 Jul 2012

The Foreign Office is investigating reports that British citizens are among Islamist fighters who kidnapped a British photographer and his Dutch colleague in northern Syria.

John Cantlie and Dutchman Jeroen Oerlemans were held by the group for a week after they accidentally came across their camp while crossing the border from south east Turkey to report on the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

During their time in captivity they were threatened with death unless they converted to Islam, and both were shot and slightly wounded when they attempted to flee barefoot. They were freed on Thursday night after a group of Free Syrian Army soldiers turned up the camp and angrily demanded that they be released.

Mr Cantlie has not yet spoken of his ordeal, but Mr Oerlemans told Dutch media that some of the gang, which is reported to have been between 30 and 100 strong, had “Birmingham accents”.

A source close to the incident told The Sunday Telegraph that there possibly at least six men with British-sounding voices, including one with a heavy south London accent.

“Nobody is quite sure yet how many, but these people generally travel in small groups of about half a dozen,” the source said.

The camp members also reportedly included people from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Chechnya, with no Syrians present. The source added that “round 40 per cent” of them apparently spoke English, although it was not clear what nationalities they were.

The possibility of British nationals or residents being present among the group will be of concern to the Government, which has done much in recent years to try to stop British-born Asians and Arabs enlisting with foreign jihadist movements.

The reports come amid growing concern that groups of Sunni extremists and al-Qaeda factions are attempting to join the rebel movement in Syria.

Speaking to Dutch media, Mr Oerlemans said that he and Mr Cantlie spent much of their time blindfolded. He told the NRC Handelsblatt newspaper: “One of the black jihadists freaked out and shouted: ‘These are journalists and now they will see we are preparing an international jihad in this place.”

The group accused them of being spies, and considered holding them for ransom, said Mr Oerlemans. He added: “As soon as Assad has fallen, these fighters want to introduce Islamic law, Sharia, in Syria.”

Syria: foreign jihadists could join battle for Aleppo

Jihadists, many with al-Qaida sympathies, are said to be planning to join a decisive battle against regime troops

Source: guardian.co.uk,

30 July 2012

Scores of foreign jihadists have crossed into Syria from Turkey in the past two weeks, some of them telling Syrians that they are planning to travel to Aleppo to join a decisive battle against regime troops.

Syrian residents and a Turkish smuggler interviewed by the Guardian say many of the men have come from the Caucasus, while others had arrived from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Gulf Arab states.

According to locals who have dealt with them, the new arrivals embrace a global jihadist worldview that sets them apart from most leaders in the armed Syrian opposition and is stirring deep discontent among the rebel leadership.

The groups have been especially active in detonating roadside bombs against regime targets – skills they had learned in Iraq. Prominent are groups such as Jibhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham, who have acknowledged that they adhere to aspects of the al-Qa’ida worldview.

Commenting on the story, Ribal Al-Assad, Director of the ODFS, said:

“The presence of the foreign Jihadist fighters in Syria is what I have been warning about for many months now. It is clear that some countries in the region are sending Jihadists and inciting sectarian violence, which will lead to an all out civil war lasting for years and lay the foundation for an Islamist theocracy. That is not what the Syrian people want.

“I call on both sides to stop the violence, on foreign countries to stop arming the opposition and for the Syrian opposition to unite and work towards a peaceful transition based on the Annan Peace Plan as that is the only sensible way forward”.