Over 720 Germans in ISIL Ranks, Most Under 30 - Reports

There are thought to be over 720 jihadists from Germany who have joined the Islamic State (ISIL) extremist group in war-torn Syria and Iraq, German media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Over 720 militants, most below the age of 30, have left Germany to join ISIL, and about one-fifth of them are women, Spiegel newspaper reported Tuesday, citing data from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).

"During the summer of 2015, the so-called Islamic State is still being a dangerously tempting destination for young Islamists from Germany," Hans-Georg Maassen said, quoted by the media outlet.

Maassen stressed that many young Germans who left for Syria appeared to not understand that ISIL would force them to carry out suicide attacks.

According to Spiegel, one third of the jihadists joining ISIL in Syria or Iraq have returned to Germany. Around one hundred militants from Germany have died in the conflict area, a death toll twice that of the previous year.

According to BfV data, 25 nationwide Islamist organizations were active in Germany at the end of 2014, and the potential number of Islamists in the country was estimated to be almost 44,000.

ISIL has seized large territories in Iraq and Syria. The group, notorious for their multiple and ongoing human rights atrocities, uses social media networks to recruit new members. Some 20,000 foreign militants have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIL, according to US intelligence.