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Foreign Fighter
A foreign fighter is someone who travels abroad to participate in a non-international armed conflict or fight for a country of which he or she is not a national. See also *International Brigades *Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts *Foreign volunteers in the Rhodesian Security Forces *Foreign fighters in the Croatian War of Independence *Foreign fighters in the Bosnian War *Foreign fighters in the Syrian Civil War and War in Iraq *Foreign fighters in the Russo-Ukrainian War **Ukrainian volunteer battalions *International response to the Spanish Civil War *Controversy surrounding Swedish jihadist foreign fighters *Final Report of the Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel *List of foreign volunteers References {{reflist Expatriate military units and formations ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-international Armed Conflict
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.James Fearon"Iraq's Civil War" in ''Foreign Affairs'', March/April 2007. For further discussion on civil war classification, see the section "Formal classification". The term is a calque of Latin '' bellum civile'' which was used to refer to the various civil wars of the Roman Republic in the 1st century BC. Most modern civil wars involve intervention by outside powers. According to Patrick M. Regan in his book ''Civil Wars and Foreign Powers'' (2000) about two thirds of the 138 intrastate conflicts between the end of World War II and 2000 saw international intervention, with the United States intervening in 35 of these conflicts. A civil war is a high-intensity conflict, often involving regular armed forces, that is sustained, organ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Brigades
The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed for two years, from 1936 until 1938. It is estimated that during the entire war, between 40,000 and 59,000 members served in the International Brigades, including some 10,000 who died in combat. Beyond the Spanish Civil War, "International Brigades" is also sometimes used interchangeably with the term foreign legion in reference to military units comprising foreigners who volunteer to fight in the military of another state, often in times of war. The headquarters of the brigade was located at the Gran Hotel, Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha. They participated in the battles of Madrid, Jarama, Guadalajara, Brunete, Belchite, Teruel, Aragon and the Ebro. Most of these ended in defeat. For the last year of its existence, the International Brig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waffen-SS Foreign Volunteers And Conscripts
During World War II, the Waffen-SS recruited significant numbers of non-Germans, both as volunteers and conscripts. In total some 500,000 non-Germans and ethnic Germans from outside Germany, mostly from German-occupied Europe, were recruited between 1940 and 1945. The units were under the control of the ''SS Führungshauptamt'' (SS Command Main Office) beneath ''Reichsführer-SS'' Heinrich Himmler. Upon mobilization, the units' tactical control was given to the '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' (High Command of the Armed Forces). History of the Waffen-SS The Waffen-SS (Armed SS) was created as the militarized wing of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; "Protective Squadron") of the Nazi Party. Its origins can be traced back to the selection of a group of 120 SS men in 1933 by Sepp Dietrich to form the ''Sonderkommando'' Berlin, which became the ''Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler'' (LSSAH). In 1934, the SS developed its own military branch, the ''SS-Verfügungstruppe'' (SS-VT), which together w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Volunteers In The Rhodesian Security Forces
The Rhodesian government actively recruited white personnel from other countries from the mid-1970s to address manpower shortages in the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. It is estimated that between 800 and 2,000 foreign volunteers enlisted, with the exact number not being known. They generally served alongside Rhodesian personnel in a large number of units, though a group of Frenchmen served together in a separate unit. The volunteers had a range of motivations. The most common motivation was opposition to governments led by black people, but other volunteers were motivated by anti-communism or a desire for adventure. They generally joined the Rhodesian Security Forces individually after seeing advertisements or after being contacted by recruiters. The volunteers frequently received a hostile response from Rhodesians in the units they were posted to, and many ended their contracts early as a result. In many countries it was illegal to serve with the Rhod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Fighters In The Croatian War Of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) is said to have attracted "mercenaries, adventurers and idealists", most joining the Croatian side. Croatian side Croats from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also the diaspora, joined the Croatian side. The war attracted 'mercenaries, adventurers and idealists', most of whom joined the Croatian Defence Forces (HOS), the paramilitary wing of the Croatian Party of Rights, at the beginning of the war. An interview with mercenaries was published in ''The Times'' in November 1991. Many extreme right volunteers from Western Europe, mainly from Germany, joined the HOS. Although Russians mainly volunteered on the Serb side, the small neo-Nazi "Werewolf" unit fought on the Croat side. The Croatian Army's "First International Brigade" based outside Osijek that consisted of 100 men had about half of the ranks being foreigners from France, Canada, Switzerland, Hungary, Portugal, Britain, Australia, the United States and Spain. Yugoslav Albanians joined ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Fighters In The Bosnian War
The Bosnian War attracted large numbers of foreign fighters and mercenaries from various countries. Volunteers came to fight for a variety of reasons including religious or ethnic loyalties, but mostly for money. Generally, Bosniaks received support from Muslim countries, Serbs from Eastern Orthodox countries, and Croats from Catholic countries. The numbers, activities and significance of the foreign fighters were often misrepresented. However, none of these groups constituted more than five percent of any of the respective armies' total manpower strength. Bosniak side Volunteer fighters often colloquially called "Bosnian mujahideen" were primarily from Afghanistan and Arab countries, though Muslim volunteers arrived from all around the world, including Asia, North Africa and Europe. Estimated numbers varied wildly, depending on sources number vary from 500–4,000. The military effectiveness of the mujahideen is disputed. Although, former U.S. Balkans peace negotiator Richard Hol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Fighters In The Syrian Civil War And War In Iraq
Foreign fighters have fought on all four sides of the Syrian Civil War, as well both sides of the War in Iraq. In addition to Sunni foreign fighters, Shia fighters from several countries have joined pro-government militias in Syria, leftist militants have joined Kurdish fighting forces, and other foreign fighters have joined jihadist organizations and private military contractors recruit globally. Estimates of the total number of foreign Sunnis who have fought for the Syrian rebels over the course of the conflict range from 5,000 to over 10,000, while foreign Shia fighters numbered around 10,000 or less in 2013 rising to between 15,000 and 25,000 in 2017. The presence of foreign jihadists, particularly in anti-government groups, steadily grew throughout the Syrian Civil War. In the early insurgency phase mid-2011 to mid-2012, their presence was negligible. In the mid-2012 to late 2013 escalation phase, their numbers grew, but they were still far outnumbered by Syrian resist ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Fighters In The Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War has seen a significant amount of foreign fighters join both sides of the conflict. It had been estimated prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine that there were approximately 17,000 foreign fighters in Ukraine. Foreign fighters have travelled to fight in the conflict for a variety of reasons, such as far-left or far-right ideologues supporting their perceived ideological allies, religious and ethnic affinities, opposition to Russia or the West and those seeking to do so for "recreational" purposes. Before February 2022, Russia had sought to obscure its direct involvement in the War in Donbass (and initially the annexation of Crimea) by stating its forces were foreign volunteers and unaffiliated with its official military forces. The launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused a significant increase in the amount of foreign fighters in the conflict. The Ukrainian government announced the establishment of an officially-sanctio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ukrainian Volunteer Battalions
Ukrainian volunteer battalions (, more formally , or abbreviated ) were militias and paramilitary groups mobilized as a response to the perceived state of weakness and unwillingness of the regular Armed Forces to counter rising separatism in spring 2014. They trace their origins to the "Maidan Self-Defense" militias formed during the Euromaidan in 2013. The earliest of these volunteer units were later formalized into military, special police and paramilitary formations in a response to Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Most of the formations were formed or placed under command of government agencies of Ministry of Internal Affairs — as " Special Tasks Patrol Police" — and Ministry of Defence — as " Territorial defence battalions". There was minority of battalions that were independent. Most of the Battalions initially didn't receive money from the government and were self-funded, some were backed by Ukrainian oligarchs while others received donations or started int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Response To The Spanish Civil War
The international response to the Spanish Civil War included many non-Spaniards participating in combat and advisory positions. The governments of Italy, Germany and, to a lesser extent, Portugal contributed money, munitions, manpower and support to the Nationalist forces, led by Francisco Franco. Some nations that declared neutrality favored the nationalists indirectly. The governments of the Soviet Union and, to a lesser extent, France and Mexico, aided the Republicans, also called Loyalists, of the Second Spanish Republic. The aid came even after all the European powers had signed a Non-Intervention Agreement in 1936. Although individual sympathy for the plight of the Spanish Republic was widespread in the liberal democracies, pacifism and the fear of a second world war prevented them from selling or giving arms. However, Nationalist pleas were answered within days by Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and António de Oliveira Salazar. Tens of thousands of individual foreign volunt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Controversy Surrounding Swedish Jihadist Foreign Fighters
The Swedish military research facility has estimated that 300 individuals traveled from Sweden to serve as foreign fighters on behalf of ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra in the Syrian Civil War, as well as in the Iraqi Civil War. The terrorism expert Magnus Norell claimed in an interview with Dagens Nyheter that the actual number might be twice as high. A law was passed in 2016 criminalizing traveling to conflict zones with the purpose of serving as a foreign fighter. As of May 2020, none of the Swedish foreign fighters have been convicted under the new ban on traveling with terroristic goals ("terrorresor"). The majority of jihadist foreign fighters departed to join ISIS and Jabat al-Nusra before the new law came into effect. Critics claim that the judicial branch of the Swedish government is misusing its discretionary authority in choosing not to prosecute foreign fighters. The claim is that laws were in place long before 2016 that could allow for all foreign fighters to be charged, ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Final Report Of The Task Force On Combating Terrorist And Foreign Fighter Travel
''Final Report of the Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel'' is a report about counterterrorism and foreign fighters in the Syrian and Iraqi Civil Wars by a bipartisan task force of the United States House Committee on Homeland Security, with a foreword by cryptology analyst and author Malcolm Nance. The work was released by the United States Government Publishing Office in 2015 as an unillustrated committee print, by the United States House Committee on Homeland Security in September 2015 in an illustrated edition, and as a paperback book in 2016 by Skyhorse Publishing. The report discusses United States citizens leaving their country to gain fighting experience in Iraq and Syria on the battlefield. It notes some linked up with the Syrian Civil War in order to attempt to remove Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad from power, later joining ISIS. According to the work, approximately 4,500 from the Western world left their countries to join ISIS, including over 25 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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