Growing number of extremist groups in S.E.A shifting allegiance to Islamic State

[JihadiJohn]

Growing number of extremist groups in south east Asia shifting allegiance to Islamic State

PUBLISHED : Sunday, 31 May, 2015, 12:41am
UPDATED : Sunday, 31 May, 2015, 12:41am

Associated Press in New York

A black flag used by Islamic State group extremists. A growing number of extremist groups from Africa to southeast Asia are shifting their allegiance to the Islamic State group. Photo: AP

A growing number of extremist groups from Africa to southeast Asia are shifting their allegiance to the Islamic State group, leading to greater risks for "cross-pollination" among conflicts beyond Syria and Iraq, the head of Interpol said.

Juergen Stock cited this emerging trend at a UN Security Council meeting along with changing travel methods of people seeking to join groups like the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

Stock was a keynote speaker at a meeting attended by half a dozen ministers, including US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, to assess progress in implementing a US-sponsored resolution adopted last September requiring all countries to prevent the recruitment and transport of would-be foreign fighters by extremist groups.

The Security Council adopted a presidential statement calling for a significant increase in border controls, improved cooperation at all levels "including preventing terrorists from exploiting technology, communications and resources."

Johnson said the United States would be developing a new passenger data-screening and analysis system in the next 12 months which would be made available to the international community at no cost.

The panel of experts monitoring UN sanctions against al-Qaeda said the number of fighters leaving home to join al-Qaeda and IS in Iraq, Syria and other countries had spiked to more than 25,000 from over 100 nations. The panel said its analysis indicated the number of "foreign terrorist fighters" worldwide increased by 71 per cent between mid-2014 and March 2015.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said most were young men motivated by extremist ideologies but he called for an examination of the reasons why more women and girls are joining the groups.

He said he planned to present a plan of action to prevent violent extremism to the General Assembly later this year.

"No country can tackle this challenge alone," Ban said.