Some 6,000 European militants fighting in Syria: EU official
The number of the European Union (EU) nationals who are fighting along with Takfiri militants in Syria may be as high as 6,000, a top EU official says.
EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova made the remarks in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro on Saturday.
“At the European level, we estimate that 5,000-6,000 individuals have left for Syria,” said Jourova, adding that the actual number was likely to be much higher due to the difficulty of tracking foreign militants in the war-torn country.
Jourova (pictured below) added that focusing on those Europeans who are seeking to travel to Syria to join militant groups or those returning from the Arab country meant intervening “too late.”
According to Jourova, Brussels wants to promote prevention as a means to hold back Europeans from traveling, and search for the diverse reasons why Europeans joined militant groups in the first place.
The EU commissioner said British research had identified “a desire for adventure, boredom, dissatisfaction with their situation in life or a lack of prospects,” in those who had decided to leave Europe and head for Syria.
In addition, Jourova said the EU is also focusing on speeding up the exchange of information between member states’ police forces and court systems, adding, this would require more intelligence sharing.
Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 215,000 people, according to reports.
The Western powers and their regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - are supporting the militants operating in Syria.
CAH/HJL/HRB
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