More than twice as many British Muslims have travelled to Syria and Iraq to wage jihad than have joined the British military over the past three years.

The difference could be even greater after it was claimed last night that the number of Britons to have fought with Islamic State (Isis) and other extremist groups in the region was much higher than the 400 to 500 identified by police.

One MP said that more than 1,500 British militants had joined the fight to create a caliphate, while a leading figure in the Muslim community put the figure at between 600 and 1,000. About 560 Muslims serve in the British army.

Archive: https://archive.is/PE24q