Author Topic: Obama concerned about Aussie jihadists (article and video inside) (Read 809 times)

KrazySumwhat · « **on:** June 21, 2014, 06:36:54 PM »

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says all levels of the Australian government are working to tackle the threat of Australian jihadists returning home with "new-found abilities and talents in terrorism".

Insurgent group Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, is using online recruitment videos to entice Australians and Muslims in other parts of the world to join its fight in Syria and Iraq.

US President Barack Obama says he is "deeply concerned" about the threat posed by returning jihadists.

"There is no doubt the problem in Syria is one that we have been paying a lot of attention to over the last couple of years as you see jihadists coming in from Europe and as far as Australia to get trained and then going back into their home countries," he told CNN.

Ms Bishop said the Australian government was aware Australians were heading to both Syria and Iraq to join up with jihadist groups, putting the number of those already involved in the fighting at 150.

"We are particularly concerned with the reports of Australians who are heading off not only to train, but to take leadership roles in radicalising others," she told ABC television on Sunday.

"The fear is they will come back to Australia with these new-found abilities and talents in terrorism."

Ms Bishop said the overseas insurgents' activities were being monitored and assessed all the time, and the government was "ever vigilant" to ensure Australians were kept safe from the threat posed by returning fighters.

All ministers, agencies and departments were involved in seeking to solve this problem, she said.

"We are doing what we can across government - it is a topic that is engaging the Australian government at every level," Ms Bishop said.

"Our National Security Committee is discussing this matter, and we are working out ways to ensure that Australians are safe from what I find to be a deeply disturbing development in our domestic security."

The government had already cancelled a number of passports, she said.
Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/24290336/obama-concerned-about-aussie-jihadists/