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British jihadis suspected of fighting in Syria could be offered help with finding jobs and counselling, it has been reported.

A Government strategy named Operation Constrain could also see extremists jump the queue for council houses, according to the Mail on Sunday.

The newspaper said it has seen official documents which show up to 20,000 fanatics, previously investigated by the security services, will be targeted to persuade them to reject violence.

According to the paper the Home Office, police and local authorities have drawn up the plans, which will start next year, and could see suspects visited by MI5 and counter-terror officers.

A panel would then decide on what interventions would work for the individual - this could include help with housing, finding work or getting education, and referrals for any mental health issues, the newspaper reports.

A Home Office spokesman said the Government is "committed to doing everything possible to protect our communities from the threat of terrorism".

"To respond to this threat, it is vital that we use all the means at our collective disposal to divert people away from terrorist-related activity and we are exploring the best ways of doing this with our partners," he added.

"We are also reviewing our counter terrorism strategy to make sure we respond to the evolving threat in the most effective way we can, both now and in the future."

A report released this week said Britain has one of the largest populations of returning fighters and others who travelled to join Islamic State.

Around 850 UK-linked individuals "of national security concern" made the journey to engage with the conflict in Syria, with just under half of those believed to have come back.

The figure of approximately 425 returnees is the fourth highest for individual nations in an analysis published by the Soufan Centre and the Global Strategy Network.

Additional reporting by Press Association