UN Report: New US War in Iraq and Syria Attracting Jihadists in Droves

A report by the United Nations, obtained by the Guardian newspaper, reveals that foreign jihadist fighters are flocking to battlefields in Iraq and Syria on an “unprecedented scale” since the United States and other allies began a wave of military operations in those countries over the last several months.

According to the Guardian’s Spencer Ackermann, the UN report

Critics of President Obama’s newest war in the Middle East have long-argued that the nature of the campaigns used by western nations to supplant groups like ISIS and al Qaeda—namely the invasion and occupation of foreign nations, cross-border drone attacks, airstrikes that frequently kill civilians and the backing of repressive foreign regimes—have, in fact, emboldened these entities and rallied others to their cause.

The Obama administration has repeatedly said the new wars being fought by U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Syria will be a “long-term” engagement.