As the Syrian civil war continues without an end in sight, the rebels' splintered factions fight desperately for control of the country. Many of the rebel groups have identified themselves as Islamists and have connections to al-Qaeda. However, many foreigners continue to join the rebels fighting against the oppressive regime of Bashar al-Assad, including a rising number of Americans.

One of the rebels fighting in Syria took part on a suicide bombing attack in Syria's Idlib province. Though suicide bombings have become more common in the conflict, it has been revealed that the fighter was an American citizen. According to the New York Times, U.S. officials have identified the man as Moner Mohammad Abusalha, a young man in his early 20s from Florida.

His identity was confirmed by the State Department, according to the newspaper, who have been compiling information on the suicide attack along with other organizations, both American and foreign. According to intelligence gathered in Syria, officials suspect Abusalha, who was known as Abu Huraira al-Amriki, drove a truck loaded with explosives to a restaurant Syrian government officers were using as a base.

"He was a generous, brave, tough man, always on the front lines in battles," said a fighter who identified himself by a nom de guerre, Abu Abdulrahman, to the Times. The fighter, like Abusalha, is part of the Nusra Front, a rebel group that aligns with al-Qaeda.

A subsequent investigation by the Times found public records that Abusalha has lived in Florida cities Fort Pierce and Vero Beach. He was part of a junior basketball league in 2007 and lived with his brother in an apartment in Fort Pierce. His family has turned down any calls for an interview, according to the New York Times.

His is not the only family with relatives in Syria. According to the Washington Post, the number of Americans fighting in Syria has been rising.

FBI and other agency officials continue to monitor the rising number of Americans joining the Syrian fight for independence with worry that they will return to the U.S. and conduct terrorist attacks here.

"All of us with a memory of the '80s and '90s saw the line drawn from Afghanistan in the '80s and '90s to Sept. 11," FBI Director James B. Comey said. "We see Syria as that but an order of magnitude worse in a couple of respects. Far more people going there. Far easier to travel to and back from. So, there's going to be a diaspora out of Syria at some point, and we are determined not to let lines be drawn from Syria today to a future 9/11."

The FBI and European police agencies have also been monitoring Europeans going to fight in Syria. A counterterrorism official told the Washington Post that European fighters pose as much as threat as American fighters since some come from visa-waiver countries and could easily enter the country.