Mohammed el-Araj, left, and Abu Hujama al-Britani, right, both from London, died fighting with al-Qaeda-linked rebels in Syria

Dozens of British jihadists have become so disillusioned with fighting in Syria that they have contacted the UK begging to come home.

One jihadist, claiming to represent 30 Britons, approached an intermediary to complain of growing despondency among the men in his group. They had gone to fight against President Assad’s regime but were instead engaged primarily in fierce combat with rival rebel groups, he said.

The man, who cannot be named, contacted researchers from the International Centre for Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) at King’s College London via social media in the past two weeks. He effectively sought amnesty, saying that the group feared long prison terms but would be willing to enrol on a deradicalisation programme and submit to surveillance.

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