More than 1,000 Canadians may still be in Syria

OTTAWA — More than 1,000 Canadians may still be in Syria despite four years of bloody fighting and the rise of Islamic State.

Foreign Affairs says 1,102 Canadians have registered with the department as being in Syria, though that number may be just the tip of the iceberg as registration is voluntary. On the other hand, many of them may also have left as the war grinds on.

In February 2012, 1,550 Canadians were registered as being in Syria. However, officials at the time believed there were actually 5,000 Canadians in the country.

The figures were provided in response to questions about an agreement Canada signed with Romania earlier this week in which Romania agreed to represent Canadian consular interests in Syria.

Canada closed its embassy in Syria amid security concerns in March 2012 and was represented by Hungary until that country closed its embassy later the same year.

Syrian Canadian Council spokesman Fais - al Alazem said while some of the Canadian citizens may live in the few corners of the country that are still stable, the majority likely are dual nationals with links to Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

“A lot of these regime figures have a backup plan,” Alazem said. “With their dual citizenship, they can go back to Canada and other countries if things go wrong.”

Nearly 200,000 people have been killed and millions more forced from their homes since fighting erupted between government and rebel forces in 2011. The situation has worsened with the rise of Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and other extremist groups.

The government has been warning Canadians not to travel to Syria for more than a year. Intelligence officials say 30 Canadians have travelled to the region to join the Islamic State.