BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — "The return of well-trained radicalized individuals poses a genuine security threat to the European Union," Koenders said at a EU Parliament plenary session devoted to the fight against terrorism. The Netherlands currently holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
He said that migration and terrorism should not be mixed up in the current situation, because those forced to flee their home countries in the Middle East and North Africa were often displaced by terrorists, he added.
"Judging from recent events, the terrorist threat seems to be increasing in the European Union but also in its vicinity and further afield."
Over 5,000 Europeans have left to fight alongside terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria, the minister said.
He added that the bloc had already made certain progress in dealing with the increasing terrorism threat, but had "much more" to do to develop tolerance and inter-religion dialogue to eliminate radicalization.
Among the Islamist groups operating in the world, Daesh, occupying vast portions of Iraq and Syria, has gained much notoriety. Jihadists are notorious for conducting suicide bombings and attacks worldwide.
Daesh, outlawed in many countries including Russia, has a number of cells and affiliates, particularly in the Middle East, and recruits foreign fighters, including from Europe, mostly via social media.
According to the minister, anti-terrorism efforts will dominate the agenda of the informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers to be held in Amsterdam on January 25-26.
