10,000 Europeans could join ISIS by year end: French PM

Europe, News March 9, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

As many as 10,000 Europeans could join ISIS by the end of this year with as many as 5,000 by this summer, the French PM estimated amid EU officials’ concerns. Germany also warned that jihadists-to-be could use domestic armed forces as training camps.

“There are 3,000 Europeans in Iraq and Syria today. When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year,” French Prime Minister Valls told French TV channel iTele. “Do you realize the threat that this represents?”

“There have already been nearly 90 French people who have died out there with a weapon in their hand, fighting against our own values,” Valls said.

France, along with Belgium, has seen the largest figures of radicalized Islamists who left home to join the Islamic state in their war in Syria and Iraq.

“We have to face a particularly high threat level in France, in Europe and in other countries,” Valls said.

France is not the only country that shares such concerns. On Sunday, German Military Intelligence (Militärgeheimdienst) chief, Christof Gram, voiced his fears that jihadists-to-be could use the military institutions and armed forces in Germany as sources of training before heading to join jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

Last November France adopted new anti-terror laws but they were first implemented in February when the government seized passports from six of its citizens and banned 40 more from travelling abroad after they were allegedly planning to travel to Syria and Iraq.

RT/RFI