5 ms·

IS has sent 400 trained and coordinated terrorists to Europe

10 points by Trisell 11y ago

mtgx 11y ago
If I were the heads of EU countries, and this actually happened (after the already huge refugee crisis happened and keeps on happening), I would be extremely pissed off at the US for creating this problem for Europe in the first place - if not in public, at least in backrooms.
- cmarschner 11y ago
  EU countries and their citizens have been extremely pissed since that election day in November 2000. I remember spending a lot of time in front of the TV in a dorm at an american university at that time, thinking "I can't believe this is happening". From then on it went downhill. Visited WTC that month as well, not knowing what was gonna happen to it...
- gozur88 11y ago
  The US didn't create this problem.
  - dave2000 11y ago
    Really? Funding the taliban, backing western intervention in israel and across the middle east for decades, invading iraq and afghanistan, destroying democracy in south america. Non of that is responsible for revenge attacks against the west?
    - gozur88 11y ago
      Nope. Why are they attacking Belgium, of all places? There's always some excuse - it really boils down to opportunity. To groups like ISIS the west is weak, and that's provocation enough.
bediger4000 11y ago
I guess I can't get too excited - I don't know what the ratio of "terrorists trained and sent to X" to "terrorists that end up not doing anything" is. We know the latter exists: the November Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam apparently changed his mind and didn't blow himself up (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/19/paris-attacker-salah-abdeslam-was-supposed-to-blow-himself-up http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/19/paris-attacker-...). My guess is that there's a pretty high drop out rate. But we'll never know, as that kind of statistic is deeply classified.
vannevar 11y ago
I'm not sure anybody has much incentive to report this number accurately. Whether it's ISIS, European security officials, or the AP itself, it's in the best interest of all of them to report the highest estimate they can find.

10 points by Trisell 11y ago

mtgx 11y ago

If I were the heads of EU countries, and this actually happened (after the already huge refugee crisis happened and keeps on happening), I would be extremely pissed off at the US for creating this problem for Europe in the first place - if not in public, at least in backrooms.

cmarschner 11y ago
EU countries and their citizens have been extremely pissed since that election day in November 2000. I remember spending a lot of time in front of the TV in a dorm at an american university at that time, thinking "I can't believe this is happening". From then on it went downhill. Visited WTC that month as well, not knowing what was gonna happen to it...
gozur88 11y ago
The US didn't create this problem.
- dave2000 11y ago
  Really? Funding the taliban, backing western intervention in israel and across the middle east for decades, invading iraq and afghanistan, destroying democracy in south america. Non of that is responsible for revenge attacks against the west?
  - gozur88 11y ago
    Nope. Why are they attacking Belgium, of all places? There's always some excuse - it really boils down to opportunity. To groups like ISIS the west is weak, and that's provocation enough.

bediger4000 11y ago

I guess I can't get too excited - I don't know what the ratio of "terrorists trained and sent to X" to "terrorists that end up not doing anything" is. We know the latter exists: the November Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam apparently changed his mind and didn't blow himself up (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/19/paris-attacker-salah-abdeslam-was-supposed-to-blow-himself-up http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/19/paris-attacker-...). My guess is that there's a pretty high drop out rate. But we'll never know, as that kind of statistic is deeply classified.

vannevar 11y ago

I'm not sure anybody has much incentive to report this number accurately. Whether it's ISIS, European security officials, or the AP itself, it's in the best interest of all of them to report the highest estimate they can find.