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Source: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2018/02/04/world/middleeast/isis-syria-al-qaeda.html
Thousands of ISIS Fighters in Syria Flee to Fight Another Day
(New York Times) Eric Schmitt - Thousands of Islamic State foreign fighters and family members in eastern Syria have fled to the south and west through Syrian Army lines. Some have gone into hiding near Damascus and in the northwest, awaiting orders sent by insurgent leaders. Some are defecting to al-Qaeda's branch in Syria, while others pay smugglers to cross the border to Turkey, with the goal of returning home to European countries. "ISIS fighters are fleeing Syria and Iraq," Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said last week. "Jihadists are going underground, dispersing to other safe havens...and returning to their home countries."