Western Jihadists in Syria Present Long-Term Security Problem

Terrorists with passports and experience

Most of the more than 1,000 jihadists who have poured into Syria to fight alongside Al Qaeda carry passports from North America and Europe, raising the possibility that they could easily bring terror back to the west, according to a key lawmaker who receives regular briefings on the issue.

The prospect is especially chilling given that Al Qaeda-linked fighters in Syria seem determined to use the embattled nation as a haven from which to launch future attacks beyond the region, according to Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., who chairs the House Intelligence Committee.