美国国家公共电台 NPR Americans In ISIS: Some 300 Tried To Join, 12 Have Returned To U.S.

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

For the first time, we have detailed¹ information about some of the Americans who have left to fight with the Islamic State. A new report is the most comprehensive account so far of what has happened to them. NPR national security correspondent Greg Myre is here to talk with us about it. Hey, Greg.

GREG MYRE, BYLINE²: Good morning, Rachel.

MARTIN: First off, how many Americans have tried to join ISIS in Iraq and Syria over the years?

MYRE: Best estimate is about 300 or so, and this comes out in a report from George Washington University's Program on Extremism. They've gone through court records, talked to government officials, even talked to some of those who have in fact returned. But, just to put it in perspective, it's about 1 percent of the estimated 30,000 foreign fighters that went to fight for the Islamic State.

MARTIN: Many coming from Europe, a lot of other places. So what happened to these Americans?

MYRE: Well, we don't know in all cases, but we do know in some. I mean, 50 of them got picked up by law enforcement before they could get on the plane, so they never got there. But this report was able to track 64 who did make it to Iraq and Syria. One, for example, is a guy named Zulfi Hoxha from New Jersey³. He went there in 2015, became an ISIS leader, had been seen in some of their more gruesome propaganda videos. They found that 20 had been killed on the battlefield and that 12, in fact, returned to the United States.

MARTIN: And then what? I mean for that dozen who came home, what happened to them when they got back here?

MYRE: Nine of them got arrested. Two of them are known to law enforcement but have not been arrested. One turned around and went back to Syria and killed himself in a suicide attack.

MARTIN: Have any come back and tried or successfully pulled off any attacks in the U.S.?

MYRE: No. Now, there's one individual who came back with instructions to carry out an attack. His name is Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud. He's from Ohio. He came back in 2014, got arrested in 2015. And a lot of these cases have been under the radar⁴. Law enforcement doesn't talk about it much. But just last month, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison. So he's the only one who's even plotted to carry out an attack. And I spoke⁵ with Seamus Hughes, who's one of the co-authors of the report, and here's what he had to say.

SEAMUS HUGHES: I think what we were struck with was the few number of attorneys that we saw. I think there was always concern that this wave of what the FBI used to call the terrorist diaspora would come back, and in many ways, it's just a trickle⁶ right now.

MARTIN: So that hasn't happened, this big wave of people coming back.

MYRE: It hasn't happened in this country, really hasn't happened anywhere.

MARTIN: More broadly, what has happened to all the foreign ISIS fighters since the group was defeated in Iraq and Syria? Have they gone mostly back to their home countries?

MYRE: No, they haven't. And that's been one of the surprises, not only in the U.S., but in Europe and elsewhere. They've been - we don't know, exactly. The hardcore guys are expected to stay and fight. Some are - have been detained by the U.S. allies in Syria, and it's really not clear what's going to happen to them. We just don't know what - where - if they're going to be repatriated⁷ or if they're going to stay where they are.

MARTIN: Stay on the battlefield. NPR's Greg Myre for us this morning. Thanks so much.

MYRE: Thank you, Rachel.

1 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

4 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 trickle   

vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散

参考例句：

• The stream has thinned down to a mere trickle.这条小河变成细流了。
• The flood of cars has now slowed to a trickle.汹涌的车流现在已经变得稀稀拉拉。

7 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》