The Caliphate’s Global Workforce: An inside Look at the Islamic State’s Foreign Fighter Paper Trail

This report by Brian Dodwell, Daniel Milton, and Don Rassler for the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point provide an analysis of the over 4,600 Islamic State foreign fighter records that emerged from the ‘Caliphate’ in early 2016. It presents information about foreign fighters’ countries of origin, citizenship, points of entry into Syria, marital status, skills and previous occupations, education levels, religious knowledge, fighting role preferences in the group, and previous jihadist experience. The analysis reveals an organization that is attempting to vet new members, manage talent effectively, and deal with a diverse pool of recruits. More...