The Roles of Foreign Fighters in Insurgencies: A Typology

The master's thesis deals with the phenomenon of foreign fighters primarily represented by contemporary jihadists. The author explores the insufficiently researched issue of participation of jihadist foreign fighters in insurgencies regarding their roles and activities in conflict zones. First, the author reviews the available academic literature on the concept of foreign fighters focusing on key definitions. Subsequently, the academic literature on seven most significant jihadist foreign-fighter mobilisations, Afghanistan (1980-1992), Bosnia (1992-1995), Somalia (1993-present), Chechnya (1994-2009), Afghanistan (2001-present), Iraq (2003-present), and Syria (2011-present), is analysed to identify patterns of similarity and difference in the jihadist foreign fighters' roles and activities. The author then introduces five distinct types of jihadist foreign fighters: 1) military and ideological leaders, field commanders; 2) foot soldiers; 3) suicide attackers; 4) support personnel; and 5) jihadist brides/wives. Each type is characterised based on the empirical evidence from the seven abovementioned cases of jihadist foreign-fighter mobilisations. Keywords Foreign Fighters, Insurgency, Jihadism, Roles, Typology Title The Roles of Foreign Fighters in Insurgencies: A Typolog