More than 20 Belgian Jihadists killed in Syria

The Syrian conflict is attracting scores of Belgian Islamists to leave home and join the fight. According to Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, roughly 200 mostly young men have left for Syria in the past few months, with 20 losing their lives.

Official reports show that the majority of the fighters have joined radical Muslim groups, some with connections to al Qaeda, rather than the Free Syrian Army, which has denounced such affiliations.

The Belgian fighters are quickly falling into rival rebel fights, potentially making them even more radicalised within the bloody civil war. Reynders says he is concerned that the Belgian fighters could pose a dangerous threat when they return home. To take precautions, the government will be closely monitoring returnees in order to prevent the violence of Syria from entering Belgium.