“Islamic
State is smuggling fighters into Europe, commanding them to disguise
themselves as refugees, according to a Libyan government adviser
[Abdul Basit Haroun]. The militants are reportedly profiting by
'taxing' those operating the overcrowded boats.”
“According
to Haroun, the IS is pocketing a significant amount of cash from each
journey, as it demands half the profits from those operating the
boats.”
“The
fighters are considered 'prize operatives' because they can travel
undetected around the continent, Aimen Dean, managing director of
Five Dimensions Consultants and a former spy for UK security
services, said. He added that they have'no biometric data [in
Europe]...no fingerprints, no nothing.'”
“Earlier
this year, European border agency Frontex warned that fighters might
be using 'irregular migration routes' to reach the continent. It
stated that resources were not being devoted to 'screening' migrants,
adding that 'not knowing who is traveling within the EU is a
vulnerability.' Similar concerns have been echoed by the Global
Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime and other
organizations, though others aren't convinced the militant group is
indeed sending its fighters to Europe on refugee boats.”
“The
journey from North Africa to Europe is an extremely dangerous one,
with 3,500 people dying during the journey in 2014 alone. A total of
1,800 have died so far this year – a 20-fold increase from the same
period last year, according to the UN Refugee Agency.”
Related:
Comments
Post a Comment