There are now more than twice as many "British" Muslims fighting for Islamic State than there are serving in the British armed forces

Khalid Mahmood, the Member of Parliament for Perry Barr in Birmingham, estimates that at least 1,500 young "British" Muslims have been recruited by extremists fighting in Iraq and Syria in the last three years. The role of "British" jihadists fighting in the Middle East has been brought into sharp focus after Islamic State released a video showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley by a masked jihadist who spoke with a British accent.