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TORONTO — Border officers have been warned that “disillusioned and traumatized foreign fighters” who had been taking part in extremist violence in Syria and Iraq may be trying to slip back into Canada, declassified documents show.

An intelligence brief distributed to Canada Border Services Agency officers warned that international coalition airstrikes and Kurdish and Iraqi advances on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant may result in defections.

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“It is possible that some residents of Canada who have joined with ISIL may be among those foreign fighters who are attempting to flee the region and return to their home country,” said the report released under the Access to Information Act.

The report was distributed to CBSA officers last December for reasons of “situational awareness,” but its recent release highlights a top national security challenge facing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: the growing problem of “terrorist travellers.”