Journals / Ortadoğu Etütleri / 2026 / Cilt: 18 Sayı: 1

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE FOREIGN FIGHTER PHENOMENON: STRATEGIC FUNCTIONS AND POST-CALIPHATE REALITIES IN THE CASE OF ISIS

YABANCI SAVAŞÇI OLGUSUNUN YÜKSELIŞI VE ÇÖKÜŞÜ: DEAŞ ÖRNEĞINDE STRATEJIK İŞLEVLER VE HALIFELIK SONRASI GERÇEKLIKLER

Iheb Achek(SAKARYA UNIVERSITY)0009-0008-8517-5841
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-06-17
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Through a combination of structural analysis and documented case studies, this study enhances our understanding of foreign fighters in the security, legal, and ideological domains, their evolving roles, and the challenges they pose.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article captures the developmental trajectory of ISIS foreign fighters from recruitment to post-caliphate detention.
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Key Findings & Data:It first discusses the 2013–2015 rise phase, notably covering recruitment networks and the propaganda apparatus.
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Conclusion & Impact:Through a combination of structural analysis and documented case studies, this study enhances our understanding of foreign fighters in the security, legal, and ideological domains, their evolving roles, and the challenges they pose.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2013–2015 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Yabancı Savaşçılar · DEAŞ · Halifelik

Abstract

This article captures the developmental trajectory of ISIS foreign fighters from recruitment to post-caliphate detention. It first discusses the 2013–2015 rise phase, notably covering recruitment networks and the propaganda apparatus. It then discusses the 2014–2016 loud phase, where ISIS expanded territorial control and began to conduct international operations. The final phase, from 2016 to 2019, is characterized by clandestine activities and shifts in the organization’s internal ideological structure, notably between its al-Hazmiyyah and al-Bin’aliyyah factions. This article walks through the collapse and dissolution (2015–2019) because of battlefield losses and international pressure, especially the international mass detention of foreign fighters in Kurdish prisons and Iraqi courts. This article highlights the ongoing threats of radicalized women and children detained in camps, such as al-Hol, and outlines attempts to revive ISIS networks in Africa. Through a combination of structural analysis and documented case studies, this study enhances our understanding of foreign fighters in the security, legal, and ideological domains, their evolving roles, and the challenges they pose.

Özet

Bu makale, IŞİD’e katılan yabancı savaşçıların gelişim sürecini, örgüte katılımdan halifeliğin çöküşü ve sonrasındaki tutukluluk dönemine kadar incelemektedir. Çalışma ilk olarak 2013–2015 arasındaki yükseliş evresini ele almakta, bu dönemdeki propaganda aygıtı ve örgütün küresel ağlar üzerinden yürüttüğü savaşçı devşirme stratejilerine odaklanmaktadır. Ardından, IŞİD’in toprak hâkimiyetini genişlettiği ve uluslararası operasyonlara başladığı 2014–2016 “yüksek sesli” dönem incelenmektedir. Son aşama ise 2016–2019 yılları arasındaki “gizli dönem”dir; bu dönemde örgüt daha gizli faaliyetlere yönelmiş ve iç ideolojik yapısında, özellikle Hazmiyye ve Benaliyye fraksiyonları arasında, belirgin bir bölünme yaşamıştır. Makale, 2015–2019 arasındaki askeri yenilgiler ve uluslararası baskılar sonucunda örgütün çöküşünü ve dağılmasını analiz etmektedir; özellikle Kürtlerin kontrolündeki hapishanelerde ve Irak mahkemelerinde tutuklanan yabancı savaşçılar konusuna vurgu yapmaktadır. Çalışma ayrıca, El-Hol gibi kamplarda tutulan radikalleşmiş kadınlar ve çocukların oluşturduğu tehdidi ve Afrika’daki IŞİD ağlarını yeniden canlandırma girişimlerini tartışmaktadır. Yapısal analiz ve belgelenmiş vaka incelemelerinin birleşimiyle bu çalışma, yabancı savaşçıların güvenlik, hukuki ve ideolojik boyutlarını, değişen rollerini ve yarattıkları zorlukları anlamaya katkı sağlamaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Achek, I. (2026). THE RISE AND FALL OF THE FOREIGN FIGHTER PHENOMENON: STRATEGIC FUNCTIONS AND POST-CALIPHATE REALITIES IN THE CASE OF ISIS. Ortadoğu Etütleri, Cilt: 18 Sayı: 1. https://doi.org/10.47932/ortetut.1830056

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