Europe faces threat from Iraq jihadists
They are highly motivated, battle-hardened, mobile – and therefore dangerous. And the return of Europe’s jihadists from Iraq is giving the continent’s intelligence services nightmares. As far back as October 2005, Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr Soulagh warned that intercepted correspondence between Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and other figures in the movement had revealed a decision to send large numbers of Islamist volunteers back to their countries of origin to wage holy war there. According to Soulagh, by autumn 2005 several hundred militant fighters had already left for home. Full Story