EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove speaks during a press briefing in Cairo December 3, 2014 (Photo: Bassem Aly)
The EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, announced on Tuesday that 3,000 Europeans have left their countries to join jihadists in Syria and Iraq, expressing concern about their return to Europe.
De Kerchove said that most of these European citizens have joined the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Nusra Front – two militant groups that control massive territories in both countries.
Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani told the UK newspaper The Independent in November that IS militants have reached 200,000. This estimate contradicted earlier numbers announced in a statement by CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani in September, when he said IS militants range between 20,000 and 31,500 across Syria and Iraq.
Speaking during a press briefing in Cairo, De Kerchove stated that the pan-European organisation is concerned about those who will return to their countries, though arguing that some of them need "psychological support" and help recovering.
He mentioned that evidence showed that the European militants have "committed crimes," saying that evidence in many of the cases were "electronic," such as emails.
De Kerchove warned that Europeans currently in Syria and Iraq will learn several negative skills such as weapon-use and developing regional networks. The EU is now exploring ways to counter the threat of IS, he said.
The EU has worked with countries of border states like Turkey as well as the international community over the issue of terrorism, the EU official asserted. He said that Europe faced terrorism "for decades," and is developing "smart policies" to encounter the problem.
These policies include protecting infrastructure and borders and coming up with effective responses to terrorist attacks in case they are not prevented. European terrorism strategies, said De Kerchove, also involve "preventing the radicalisation" of people.
Concerning the case of IS, De Kerchove said the militant movement uses the internet and social networks "very efficiently" in attracting new members. "They even produce Hollywood-style videos," he stated, and urged for more efficiency in countering their threats on the web.
De Kerchove said the EU backs Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi's government in Iraq, adding that some member states are providing the Kurdish Peshmerga forces with arms and trade support as they fight IS militants. Also, he noted that some EU states are participating in the US-led airstrikes against jihadist-controlled sites in Iraq.
EU member-states have not joined aerial operations in Syria, however. "They have their own reasons," De Kerchove said, describing the situation in Syria as complex.
During his three-day visit to Cairo, the senior European official said he met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's advisors for national security and foreign affairs, as well as the interior minister and deputy defence minister.
"Sinai and Libya are two serious challenges to Egypt," De Kerchove said.
De Kerchove emphasised that the EU is keen to "learn more" about terrorism threats in Egypt, referring to the recent announcement by jihadist groups in Sinai of their allegiance to IS.
He said the EU will be working with Egypt over "border management" in terms of Libya, believing the situation in the latter is "awfully complex."
Since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in the 2011 uprising, Libya has failed to maintain control over armed militias that managed to remove the long-time dictator from power.
However, he accentuated that no specific steps have been approved so far, citing a need to report the results of his visit to European officials, including EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.
In the meantime, De Kerchove said that arms restrictions against Egypt have not been lifted yet. In August 2013, foreign ministers of the 28 EU member states decided to suspend the sale of security equipment and arms to Egypt. The step came in response to violence in Egypt that led to emergency EU talks at the time.
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