MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Estimated to cost anywhere from $200 to $2,000 apiece, forged Syrian passports are a black market commodity. Foreign fighters are said to use the fake documents to cross into Syria through the Turkish border.
"It is possible that individuals from Syria with passports ‘issued’ in these [Daesh] controlled cities or who had passport blanks, may have traveled to the US," ABC News quoted a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Intelligence Report as saying Thursday.
The 17-page report issued to law enforcement last week refers to Raqqa, the fundamentalist group’s de-facto capital, and partially captured Deir Ezzor as two of the Daesh passport offices’ possible locations.
Based on information provided by a local source rated with "moderate confidence," the report claims fake passports are "awash" in the Arab republic.
"If [Daesh] ability to produce passports is not controlled, their operations will continue to increase and expand outside of their operational controlled areas," the report warned.
At least one fake Syrian passport has been found next to a suicide bomber in the November 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and injured hundreds more. Greek, Serbian and Croatian authorities have registered the passport holder at their asylum facilities in October, raising fears of Daesh fighters arriving on western soil as refugees.
