STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) — A group of Swedish nationals suspected of fighting alongside members of the Daesh terror group (outlawed in Russia) have been captured in northern Syria, Swedish media reported Tuesday.
Radio Sweden reported, citing sources close to the Kurdish administration, that a number of suspected terrorists originating from Scandinavian countries, including Sweden, are now being held by the People's Protection Units (YPG) in the de facto autonomous Kurdish Rojava region.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the information provided by the broadcaster.
According to the same media, citing the Swedish Security Service, up to 300 Swedish citizens have joined extremist groups in the Middle East over the past six years.
A June 14 report by the Swedish Defense University, which analyzed 267 of the 300 identified Swedish foreign fighters, showed that 76 percent of said fighters were men, while 24 percent were women. The report also revealed that while 26 is the average age of foreign fighters, 18 percent of them are 19 years old or younger.
