Two Norwegians have been identified as leading commanders within the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), operating under the direct charge of ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to Israeli press reports Thursday.
The two Norwegians were named by the broadcaster as Bastian Vasquez from Skien, southwest of Oslo, and an unidentified Norwegian national of African descent from Bærum, just outside the Norwegian capital.
Vasquez reportedly appeared in an Islamic State propaganda video earlier this year, while the second Norwegian commander, who was not identified by name, was said to have left Norway for Syria in December 2012, nearly two years into the Syrian civil war.
More than 50 Norwegians are among the hundreds of Europeans who have traveled to Syria to fight with ISIS.
Last week, Norwegian authorities said they had identified the four ISIS jihadists who had caused a terror scare in Norway this July. Concerns about jihadists prompted Norway to threaten “revoking citizenship from individuals taking part in terrorist activities and wars in the Middle East,” last week.
[Photo: Reuters / YouTube ]