The European Union warns of the danger of ISIS in Syria and Iraq

The European Union (EU) has warned of the continuing threat of the terrorist group Daesh (IS) to both Syria and Iraq by changing its means of recruitment.

During a workshop in Baghdad yesterday between the EU and the Iraqi National Security Advisor on combating violent extremism and terrorism, EU Co-ordinator for Countering Violent Extremism Ilka Salmi revealed that the terrorist group uses social media to recruit youth into its ranks, Middle East reported.

“ISIS and al-Qaeda continue to pose a threat to the world in general, and Iraq and Syria in particular,” the UN official said, noting that “extremist groups have withdrawn from the field and are turning to social networking sites to recruit youth.”

“The European Union has invested in sports and science to attract young people instead of being exploited by extremist terrorist groups,” he said, adding that “we have several programs in partnership with the Iraqi National Security Advisory to prevent extremism and terrorism.”

“The EU will start a program in Iraq with the Guidance Center on how to address these and other important issues in preventing and combating extremist violence,” he said, noting that “last year the EU was privileged to launch special training for female law enforcement officers.”

“He will discuss with the Iraqi government how the EU can assist Iraq in the process by which the government has started to repatriate its citizens from al-Hawl camp, and ensure successful reintegration into local communities, once EU funding has been provided to support the reintegration process,” he said.

“The emergence of new havens for terrorists must be avoided and they must be prevented from planning attacks around the world,” he said. “Today, the EU is witnessing the rise of extremism and terrorism, through the recruitment of young people, and many plots have been foiled.”

In a related development, two local officials in Iraq’s Diyala reported yesterday that the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIS) was sheltering with explosives to protect its hideouts in hot spots and disrupt security operations in the province.

“With every security operation, ISIL elements resort to planting IEDs in front of the security forces’ path in the triangle between Qara Tapa’s Narin sector and the outskirts of Jalula sub-district and the borders of Lake Hamrin,” Wasfi Murtada al-Tamimi, director of Qara Tapa sub-district (northeast Diyala), told Shafq News.

“ISIS detachments in the hot triangle are fortified with explosive charges to obstruct security operations and prevent the security forces from reaching their hideouts,” he said. “Many of the operations were marred by the detonation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that caused casualties.”

“The areas where ISIS hotbeds are located are located outside the borders of Lake Hamrin within the district’s districts,” said Ahmed Thamer al-Zarkoushi, director of al-Saadiya sub-district (60km northeast of Baqubah). “The hotbeds of terrorism are in the northeastern border, far from al-Saadiya.”

The areas surrounding Lake Hamrin have been the scene of continuous incidents involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) targeting security patrols and sectors.