MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova – European authorities must focus on the threat posed by Western nationals who return home after having fought on the side of Islamic State (ISIL) extremists in the Middle East, the Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) told Sputnik.
"The [Western] governments should be smart in assessing the risks," Steven Lenos from the Radicalisation Awareness Network, set up by the European Commission, told Sputnik on Monday, adding that it is also important to find out the reasons why European nationals are returning home from the Middle East.
With the rise of the radical ISIL group in Iraq and Syria, Europe fears that those who leave their homeland to support the extremists may pose a significant danger to Europe once they return home.
"Are they returning because they were disillusioned, are they returning because they were sent back, are they returning because they are tired or get scared," Lenos said in an interview with Sputnik, speculating about the possible reasons behind the return of Westerners from the Middle East.
EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jouriva stressed on Monday that it is too late to focus on those radicalized Europeans who have already left for Syria, or have returned to Europe after fighting alongside the ISIL. Instead, counter-terrorism efforts should be focused on preventing the spread of radical ideas used in the service of extremist violence.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), is a jihadist militant group that operates mainly in Iraq and Syria where it has captured large territories and declared a caliphate on the areas under its control.
ISIL affiliates also operate in North Africa, Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
ISIL recruits new members from different parts of the world, including from Europe and the United States. The extremists use social networks as a tool to recruit young teenage fighters.
According to recent estimates by US intelligence officials, some 20,000 foreign fighters including 4,000 people from Western Europe have joined ISIL in the last three years.
