Thousands of foreign fighters answered the call to help topple the dictatorship of President Bashar Assad. Many plan to stay, despite the qualms of the United States and some Syrians.
A Syrian soldier stands guard in the coastal province of Latakia. Thousands of foreigners flocked to Syria to fight in the civil war that lasted almost 14 years, and many now want to stay. The New York Times
In the eyes of Syria’s new leaders, the foreign fighters who battled alongside their rebel groups to oust the Assad dictatorship are loyal allies “who have stuck beside the revolution”.
For the United States, many of these fighters conjure images of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State group.
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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/world/middle-east/they-went-to-syria-to-fight-with-rebels-now-they-don-t-want-to-leave-20250609-p5m5xd
