ISIS members masquerading as refugees on Greek border

Mustafa Kamel

Some of the members of the Islamic State (ISIS) group have succeeded in gaining presence among thousands of refugees on the border between Greece and Turkey, in preparation for entering Europe.

Winning card

ISIS tries to use refugees and illegal migrants. Some of the refugee camps, especially on the Greek island of Lesbos in the northern Aegean Sea, have turned into ticking time bombs because of this terrorist organization. ISIS elements succeeded in spreading the extremist ideology of their organization in the camps.

Observers have warned, meanwhile, against potential attacks by ISIS, especially after Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, allowed thousands of refugees to cross his country’s border on the road to Greece. This move, they said, is tantamount to green light from the Turkish president for ISIS to return to activity in Europe.

This was probably why the European Border and Coast Guard Agency raised its alert level to the maximum on March 2. The European Union also called the foreign ministers of its member states to hold an emergency meeting.

Athens has already raised its alert level. The Greek prime minister said his country would react violently to illegal attempts for crossing its border.

Using ISIS as a threat

Erdogan used ISIS to threaten Europe several times in the past. He threatened to return ISIS members back to their home countries.

The Turkish president has been sending ISIS members back home since the killing of ISIS caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in October 2019. Ankara deported 110 ISIS members to their countries, including 46 members to European countries. He did this with the aim of extorting money from the countries of the European continent.