Over 16,000 foreign fighters take part in Syrian conflict - Dep't of State

More than 16,000 mercenaries from around 90 countries have been fighting in Syrian conflict since 2012, with Turkey being the "prime entrance" for foreign fighters, a US Department of State senior official said, Sputnik reported.

"The intelligence community estimates that since January 2012, over 16,000 Foreign Fighters have traveled to Syria from more than ninety countries, including the United States. These fighters, many of whom have joined ISIL, al-Nusrah Front and other terrorist organizations, are a threat to people across Syria and Iraq and endanger the stability of the entire region," Senior Adviser for Syria Foreign Fighters Robert Bradtke said during the US Congress session.

According to Brandtke, Turkey remains the "prime entrance" for foreign fighters to infiltrate Syrian territory, despite the fact that Ankara cooperates actively with the United States and international society to suppress the flow of mercenaries.

"The Turks have more than a million refugees from Syria inside Turkey. Turks have a nine-kilometer border with Syria, there are 37 tourist arrivals in Turkey every year," Brantke said adding that all these factors prevent Turkish law enforcement agencies to control flaw of mercenaries to Syria.

"We believe that Turkey… is taking steps to try to deal with the flaw of foreign fighters," the official concluded.