Jakarta – Indonesian extremists have turned their attentions to the Syrian war, a bloody two-year battle soaked in sectarian division and apocalyptic prophecy, as radical Islamist groups push for a two-pronged "global jihad" to establish an Islamic caliphate in the Middle East, a new report by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict read.

"The conflict in Syria has captured the imagination of Indonesian extremists in a way no foreign war has before," the report, titled "Indonesians and the Syrian Conflict," read. "For the first time, Indonesians are going overseas to fight, not just to train, as in Afghanistan in the late 1980s and 1990s, or to give moral and financial support, as in the case of Palestine."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates that at least 50 Indonesians have joined the estimated 8,000 foreign nationals fighting in Syria. The emergence of non-Syrian fighters, which include ex-mujahideen from Afghanistan and Al Qaeda-linked militants, has thrown the situation in Syria into a deeper state of chaos as rebel groups fighting to topple the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fight both alongside and against members of violent terrorist groups waging a holy war of their own.

The Indonesian radicals, many members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist network and its affiliated Islamic boarding schools, may have been inspired by the popular book "The Two-Arm Strategy;" which argues that the upheaval caused by the Arab Spring provided fertile ground for a two-pronged jihad in Yemen and Syria – both sites of religious and historical significance.

The war's sectarian lines have also stoked anger in Sunni-majority Indonesia where scenes of violence against Sunni Muslims by Assad's Shia Muslim loyalists received regular coverage in by domestic media outlets. The anger, combined with a reluctance by JI – the organization behind the 2002 Bali bombings – to stage further attacks on Indonesian soil and the religious connections between the Syrian war and several hadith on the Islamic doomsday, might inspire more Indonesians to join the war, the report read.

"As far as we know the number of Indonesian combatants is still in the dozens, but it could climb," IPAC director Sidney Jones said. "Jihadi humanitarian assistance teams now appear to be facilitating the entry of fighters as well."

Indonesians have joined both the Al Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front and the rival Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS). Locally JI and its nonviolent wing Hilal Ahmar Society Indonesia (HASI) have engaged in fundraising and material support, sending 10 "humanitarian missions" to the war-torn state since 2012. Members affiliated with a separate terrorist group, Abu Umar's West Indonesia Mujahideen, have also joined the fight.

At least one Indonesian has died in the war: Riza Fardi, a West Kalimantan native and graduate of the JI-linked al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school in Ngruki, Solo. Riza, who also went by the name Abu Muhammad al-Indunisi, fought with the Suquor al-Izz Brigade and was killed during a jihadi-led seize of the Sheik Said district, in Aleppo, on Nov. 25, 2013, the report read.

Riza's involvement in the battle, and his subsequent death, received heavy play on local jihadi channels. "While other Indonesians' deaths in Syria have been rumored, Riza Fardi's is the only one confirmed," the report read.

But divisions between Al-Nusra Front and ISIS have caused a similar split in Indonesia. Opinions regarding Assad have also fanned tensions, to a much lesser extent, among Indonesian radicals.

Indonesia's Immigration Office will monitor the situation and determine whether any of those known to have ventured into Syria should be placed on a watch list, spokesman Heriyanto told the Jakarta Globe.

"We will examine this problem first," Heriyanto said. "Is anyone violating regulations, tainting Indonesia's reputation [abroad]? We will study this matter further by inquiring relevant institutions concerning the problem."

The office will reach out to Indonesia's National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) to assemble a list of known terrorists in Syria. But there is little immigration officials can do to discourage Indonesians from visiting Syria. While the central government has issued a moratorium on sending foreign workers to the war-torn country, anyone with a visa and a plane ticket is free to visit Syria, he said.

"However, if people seek to enter Syria, we will surely interrogate them to know what the purpose of their visit is," he said. "If we suspect anything, we'll surely do a special investigation."

IPAC has warned in the past that returning mujahideen could provide order and motivation for the nation's poorly organized domestic terrorists cells. While Indonesia's current crop of terrorists remain committed to waging a largely unsuccessful war of attrition with local police, the enhanced skills of Indonesian jihadis who returned home from Syria may embolden domestic groups, the report read.

But the situation in Indonesia, which remains peaceful, is unlikely to provide fertile ground for a new jihad movement, the report concluded.

"The dangers should not be overdrawn," Jones said. "Indonesian terrorism has always depended on local drivers, and without major internal conflict, political instability or hostile neighbors, those drivers are weak. Still it is worth keeping an eye on Syria."

[Erwida Maulia contributed to this report.]