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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 *French Foreign Legion * Spanish Foreign Legion * Portuguese Foreign Legion * International response to the Spanish Civil War **International Brigades * Foreign support of Finland in the Winter War *Mahal (Israel) * 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 Ukrainian volunteer battalions (, more formally , or abbreviated ) were militias and Paramilitary, paramilitary groups mobilized as a response to the perceived state of weakness and unwillingness of the regular Armed Forces of Ukraine, Armed Forc ... * Controversy surrounding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-international Armed Conflict
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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 #Formal classification, the section "Formal classification". The term is a calque of Latin which was used to refer to the various Roman civil wars, 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. A civil war is often a high-intensity conflict, often involving Regular army, regular armed forces, that is sustained, organized and large-scale. C ... [...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 joine ... [...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 Cryptologic technician, 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 Citizenship of the United States, 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 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIS. According to the work, a ... [...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, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ukrainian Volunteer Battalions
Ukrainian volunteer battalions (, more formally , or abbreviated ) were militias and Paramilitary, paramilitary groups mobilized as a response to the perceived state of weakness and unwillingness of the regular Armed Forces of Ukraine, 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 the Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present), Russian military intervention in Ukraine in 2014. Most of the formations were formed or placed under command of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ukraine), Ministry of Internal Affairs — as "Special Tasks Patrol Police" — and Ministry of Defence (Ukraine), Ministry of Defence — as "Territorial defence battalions (Ukraine), Territorial defence battalions". A minority of battalions were independe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Fighters In The Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War has seen foreign volunteers participate on both sides of the conflict. Most foreign fighters joined the conflict during one of two waves. The first wave happened from 2014 to 2019 during the War in the Donbas and consisted of approximately 17,241 foreign fighters. The second wave is considered by researchers to have been much larger and began in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Background The Russo-Ukraine War has seen two distinct waves of foreign fighters: the 2014 wave to join Ukrainian volunteer battalions and pro-Russia separatist groups during the War in the Donbas phase and the post-Russian Invasion of Ukraine wave starting in 2022. War in the Donbas The foreign fighter movement in 2014 was largely short-lived, with researcher Kacper Rekawek writing, "fighters arrived throughout the summer of 2014, and most of them were gone from Ukraine at some point in 2015, although some returned later, with a small group settling in Ukraine perm ... [...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 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. Throughout 2014, with the rise of Islamic State, the Al-Nusra Front, and other groups, their numbers drastically increased and they partnered with and absorbed Syrian rebel groups, both jihadist and non-jihadist. By 2015, foreign jihadists outnumbered Syrian jihadists and other rebels in casualty rolls (16,212 anti-government foreig ... [...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 to 4,000. The military effectiveness of the mujahideen is disputed. Although, former U.S. Balkans peace negotiator Richard H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Foreign Volunteers In The Rhodesian Security Forces
The Rhodesian government actively recruited White people, white personnel from other countries from the mid-1970s until 1980 to address manpower shortages in the Rhodesian Security Forces during the Rhodesian Bush War. It is estimated that between 800 and 2,000 foreign fighter, foreign volunteers enlisted. The issue attracted a degree of controversy as Rhodesia was the subject of international sanctions that banned military assistance due to its illegal Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, declaration of independence and the control which the small White Zimbabweans, white minority exerted over the country. The volunteers were often labelled as mercenary, mercenaries by opponents of the Rhodesian regime, though the Rhodesian government did not regard or pay them as such. The volunteers had a range of motivations for enlisting. These included opposition to governments led by black people, anti-communism, a desire for adventure, racism, and economic hardship. The vol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consists of several specialties, namely infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, and Airborne forces, airborne troops. It formed part of the Army of Africa (France), Armée d'Afrique, French Army units associated with French colonial empire, France's colonial project in North Africa, until the end of the Algerian War in 1962. Legionnaires are today renowned as highly trained soldiers whose training focuses on traditional military skills and on the Legion's strong ''Morale, esprit de corps'', as its men come from different countries with different cultures. Consequently, training is often described as not only physically challenging, but also very stressful psychologically. Legionnaires may apply for French citize ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Waffen-SS Foreign Volunteers And Conscripts
During World War II, the ''Waffen-SS'' recruited or conscripted significant numbers of non-Germans. Of a peak strength of 950,000 in 1944, the ''Waffen-SS'' consisted of some 400,000 “Reich Germans” and 310,000 ethnic Germans from outside Germany’s pre-1939 borders (mostly from German-occupied Europe), the remaining 240,000 being non-Germans. Thus, at their numerical peak, non-Germans comprised 25% of all ''Waffen-SS'' troops. The units were under the control of the '' SS Führungshauptamt'' (SS Command Main Office) led by ''Reichsführer-SS'' Heinrich Himmler. Upon mobilisation, 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 militarised 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 ''Sonder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahal (Israel)
Mahal, more often spelled Machal (), refers to the group of overseas volunteers who fought alongside Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Some 4,000 volunteers, mostly Jews but also non-Jews, arrived from all over the world. Mahal is an acronym of (''Mitnadvei Hutz LaAretz'', "volunteers from abroad"). Mahal was disbanded after the war and most of the volunteers went home, although some remained in the country as permanent residents. History Many members of Mahal were World War II veterans from United States Armed Forces, United States and British Armed Forces. Allied armies were reduced considerably after the end of the war and many soldiers were demobilization, demobilised; moreover, the service experience became mundane and did not suit some servicemen, particularly pilots. In various circumstances they were invited, or heard of the Jewish state's struggle for independence and volunteered. In some cases those who enlisted had no prior military experience. There ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
