“Intelligence that has been gathered has confirmed that private companies based outside of Bahrain are recruiting Bahrainis to take part in hostilities,” Col. Yusuf Rashid Flaifel said during a parliamentary debate.
The island country’s laws stipulate prison terms for those traveling abroad to fight for extremist organizations.
A number of Bahraini citizens are said to be fighting in Syria either on the side of the Syrian government or on the side of the opposition.
The country's Interior Ministry advised Bahrainis to refrain from participating in any regional or international conflicts, monitoring websites that aim to recruit Bahrain's citizens as fighters.
Bahrain's stance on the subject is shared by some other Gulf countries that seek to stem the flow of homegrown jihadists to Syria, in particular.
