UN reports spike in foreign ISIS fighters

More than 25,000 foreign militants are fighting alongside al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to a new United Nations report obtained by The Associated Press.

{mosads}That’s a 71 percent increase over the past year, with most of the 20,000 who traveled to Syria and Iraq joining ISIS.

The report also warns that defeating ISIS could dissipate those foreign terrorists around the world, where they could end up joining other groups.

The threat of foreign fighters has been a key concern with many lawmakers as America continues a coalition effort to remove ISIS from power. Last week, an Air Force veteran was arrested for trying to join the group, and a number of Americans have been stopped with the intent to travel to Syria to join the terrorist group.

The report calls the foreign fighters “an immediate and long-term threat” and the likelihood of a terrorist strike “growing, particularly with attacks targeting hotels, public spaces and venues.”

Previous estimates found that about 20,000 foreign fighters had joined the terrorist groups, including 3,400 Westerners and 150 Americans.