BRUSSELS
Human traffickers could be bringing extremist fighters across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, NATO’s senior commander said on Thursday.
"We do not know what is in these migrations coming in across the Mediterranean from northern Africa into our European nations," U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove told a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
"Some of these people are legitimate refugees from ungoverned spaces. Others we believe are organized crime and, yes, we believe there could be elements of extremists as well."
His comment echo those of Libyan security adviser Abdul Basit Haroun, who told the BBC earlier this week that Daesh fighters were being smuggled among migrants fleeing to Europe from Libya, where the group has established itself.
EU leaders gathered on May 18 to discuss dismantling criminal networks and destroying boats used by migrant smugglers in Libya.
However, the EU naval mission needs UN authorization to proceed under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which allows the use of force to restore international peace and security under specific conditions.
The International Organization for Migration reports that around 1,750 migrants have died in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2015, a 30-fold increase over the same period last year.
Critics say the West’s decision to help overthrow the Gaddafi regime in 2011 – leaving Libya without a functioning government – has exacerbated the migrant crisis.
