300 Dutch left on jihad since 2012; 90 returned, 105 killed: Intelligence service

Around 300 Netherlands residents left for Syria and Iraq in recent years with jihadist intentions. About 90 of them have returned to the Netherlands. About 80 minors have also returned, the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) reported in its latest state of affairs, which reflects the situation on August 31. Since 2012, approximately 105 adult Dutch jihadists have died in Syria and Iraq, as have 30 children.

Most of those who returned to the Netherlands did so in 2013 and 2014. In addition, approximately 15 adults and 50 children returned to another country in the past five years. In many cases, it concerns a country where they also have citizenship, like Turkey.

According to the AVID, there are still about 100 adult Dutch people in the region, a third of whom are staying in Syrian Kurdish camps or detention centers in northeastern Syria. There are about 25 Dutch people among jihadist groups. There are also about 150 children in the area with at least one Dutch parent. About 70 of those children live with jihadist groups in northwest Syria.

The AIVD keeps track of figures on Dutch jihadists because part of the jihadist threat to the Netherlands comes from this group. According to the intelligence service, they could pose a security risk upon return. To prevent it becoming clear how the figures were collected and sources being endangered, the AIVD rounds the figures off per category.