WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The number of foreign terrorists participating in the Syrian conflict has exceeded 40,000, US Department of State Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Justin Siberell said in a briefing on Thursday.
"An excess of 40,000 total foreign fighters have gone to the conflict [in Syria] from over a hundred countries," Siberell stated.
Siberell added that international efforts have made it more difficult for terrorists to enter the conflict zone.
Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with opposition factions and extremist groups, including terrorist organizations like the Islamic State and the Nusra Front, fighting the Syrian Arab Army and government forces loyal to the country’s legitimate President Bashar Assad.
