Documents, leaked by an Islamic State defector, reveals that over 100 Chinese nationals have joined the jihadist movement in Syria.

A study, which looked into over 4,000 registration records of fighters who joined the Islamic State between mid-2013 and mid-2014, found that most of these Chinese nationals are from the northwestern region of Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur ethnic group.

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According to the leaked records, each fighter was made to answer a questionnaire with basic questions including their origin, educational level, history of employment, and former jihad experience. Analysts found that at least 114 of the new recruits were Chinese Uighurs.

The study by the New America think tank and the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point also discovered that the ages of the Chinese recruits ranged from between 10 and 80 years old. The Chinese recruits were usually poor, uneducated, and low-skilled workers, with a majority of them coming from conservative areas where police and antigovernment violence is high.  

"Contextual evidence...suggests the country's antiterrorism campaign in Xinjiang could be a push factor," Nate Rosenblatt, author of the recent study.

He suggested that "it may not be that these fighters are as religiously motivated" instead they are looking "perhaps for a sense of belonging that they don't get in China."

The study, which was published by New America last week, made it clear that it is uncertain if more fighters joined the group after the period stipulated in the leaked records.

The Foreign Ministry of China has refused to comment on the report.

TagsIslamic State, terrorism, Uighurs, Xinjiang, jihadist movement