As ISIS loses ground, more and more foreign fighters are surrendering

Foreign fighters are leaving the Islamic State in droves, with many surrendering to or being caught by Turkish border police over the last few weeks, The Guardian reports.

People who sympathized with the terrorist group are also fleeing, as ISIS loses ground in its stronghold of Raqqa, Syria. Last week, Kary Paul Kleman, a 46-year-old from Florida, and Stefan Aristidou of London surrendered at the Kilis crossing, accompanied by Aristidou's British wife, Kleman's Syrian wife, and two Egyptian women whose husbands were killed in battle, The Guardian reports. Aristidou claimed he traveled to Syria two years ago not to fight but to live, later admitting he was in Raqqa. Kleman's mother said after he got a divorce, he converted to Islam and moved to Egypt in 2011. He married and divorced an Egyptian woman, then moved to Dubai and married a Syrian woman. His family said he went to Syria in 2015 to help with humanitarian efforts.

The United States estimates that up to 30,000 foreign fighters have likely crossed into Syria to fight with ISIS, and as many as 25,000 have been killed. Turkish and European officials have said their embassies are being contacted by ISIS fighters who have joined in recent years and are asking to return home, The Guardian reports. While many foreigners are ready to leave ISIS, there are others more committed than ever; Western intelligence officials believe that at least 250 ISIS fighters over the last two years have been smuggled over the Turkish border and are now in Europe.

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