Abstract

ISIS Foreign Fighters after the Fall of the Caliphate With the fall of Baghouz, the last Syrian village con- Given the phenomenon’s multidirectional flow trolled by the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or and the range of pathways available to aspiring and ISIL) in March 2019, the Syrian Democratic Forces veteran foreign fighters, it is possible to group ISIS (SDF) officially declared ‘the destruction of the so- foreign fighters into four categories. Firstly, ‘new called Islamic State organisation’. But while the foreign fighters’ and ‘remainers’ are either those Islamic State as a state-like organisation has indeed attempting to reach Iraq, Syria or another ISIS branch been destroyed, ISIS as a terrorist organisation (wilayat) around the world from their own country, remains robust. or ISIS veterans who remained in Iraq and Syria Since mid-2017, military advances achieved by after the fall of the caliphate. Secondly, ‘relocators’ the United States-led Combined Joint Task Force are those who have moved to other wilayat. Thirdly, engaged in Operation Inherent Resolve ( CJTF–OIR), ‘captured’ are those who are currently detained, the anti-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria, had already either in their countries of origin or abroad, as well pushed ISIS to abandon