Up to 20 Britons ‘killed fighting in Syria’

Security sources believe number of Britons to have died fighting with al Qaeda linked “militants” is well in to double figures, amid concern over conflict’s attraction for would-be “jihadists”

Up to 20 Britons are believed to have been killed while fighting in Syria, many alongside terrorist or extremist groups, The Daily Telegraph understands.

The suspected death toll will fuel fears that the scale of Britons heading out to Syria as would-be “jihadists” is far higher than previously thought.

Four Britons are understood to have been killed in recent months, but security sources believe the number that have died is now well in to double figures.

There are also renewed fears that hundreds more young men who have gone out to the country have or will return to Britain, posing a threat here.

The estimate came as friends of one of the Britons believed to have died, Mohammed el-Araj, said he had been “brainwashed” at a local London mosque before heading to Syria.

Source: Daily Telegraph

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