Two Los Angeles gang members appear to have joined the flow of foreigners flocking to fight in Syria - in this instance, on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In a video posted online, the two men boast that they are on the front lines and fire their guns in the direction of what they call "the enemigos".

One of the men identifies himself as Creeper from the Sur 13 or Surenos, a loose affiliation of southern California gangs linked to the Mexican mafia. He rolls up his sleeves to show his gang tattoos and greets fellow gang members Capone-E and Crazy Loco.

The other says he is called Wino, and belongs to a gang called Westside Armenian Power. Members of the Armenian Christian minority in Syria are known to be staunch supporters of Dr Assad.

The men don't reveal much about what they are doing or why they are fighting for the Assad regime. "It's Syria, homie, we're in Syria, homie . . . front line," Wino says.