EU faces growing challenge from returning foreign terrorist fighters, data show
Around 5,000 Europeans joined Daesh between 2011 and 2020, and by the end of 2020 roughly 1,600 adults and 200-300 children had returned to EU countries.
Regina Soós explains that terrorism is not a distant threat, citing figures that show roughly 5,000 Europeans left for Syria or Iraq to join the Islamic State between 2011 and 2020. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178 defines such individuals as foreign terrorist fighters. Overall, about 42,000 people from 120 countries travelled to the Middle East, with more than 5,000 coming from EU states.
Following Daesh’s weakening after 2016, about 30% of those combatants returned, representing nearly 1,600 adults and between 200 and 300 children by the end of 2020. The most impacted EU nations are Belgium, France and Germany, though Austria, Denmark, Italy, Spain and Hungary also face returns. The author stresses that radicalisation, facilitated by global connectivity, and the complex processes of repatriation and reintegration remain major challenges for European security and social cohesion.
Why it matters
Returning fighters pose security, legal and social integration challenges for many EU countries.
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