Pencilneckal-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
is determined to retake the region.
Over 60 Germans are fighting in Islamist groups in Idlib, the last stronghold of Islamist fighters in northwest Syria, according to reports German broadcaster SWR shared Sunday.
Danka, Muti
SWR reviewed transcripts of instant messages sent by the fighters and determined that the individuals are largely members of "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...," a group with ties to al-Qaeda. At least one person is working with the group "Junud al-Sham."
Using messenger apps like Telegram, the fighters solicited financial aid from supporters back in Germany by way of text, video and voice messages.
"My brothers," said one masked man in a video message, "if you could help, that would be very good. Even if you're in Germany, [by donating,] it's as if you've completed jihad."
Supporters are instructed to send donations to an individual in
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
via Western Union bank transfer or to use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
German security agencies are aware of the practice and said they have been monitoring the use of cryptocurrency to finance terrorism for some time.
Idlib is the final holdout of Salafist tough guys in Syria, who are backed by