Written question asked by Harold Best (Labour) on Wednesday, 10 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 5 January 2004. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 5 January 2004 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) numbers and (b) origins of non-Iraqi fighters opposed to coalition forces in Iraq. - Exemptions 1 and 2 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Answer: Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) numbers and (b) origins of non-Iraqi fighters opposed to coalition forces in Iraq. [144327] Mr. Rammell: We believe foreign fighters from a range of countries are present in Iraq. Most, but not all, have probably travelled from other countries in the Gulf, the Middle East and Africa. A smaller number may have travelled from Europe. We have no precise information on the number of foreign fighters currently in Iraq. Since any estimate of the number of foreign fighters would be based on intelligence, under Exemptions 1 and 2 of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, it would not be appropriate to provide further details.

Secondary information