Up to 2000 European jihadists are fighting against the Assad regime in Syria, according to Belgium’s interior minister. That number was said to be just 600 in June.<br /><br />Joëlle Milquet, Belgian Interior Minister made the comments in a joint press conference with her French counterpart, Manuel Valls.<br /><br />“With regards to the European figures, we estimate it’s between 1500 and 2000, given what we have heard from our counterparts. The numbers by country are very standard. It’s a phenomenon which is very generalised, that exists in identical proportions with people who have identical profiles” – said Milquet.<br /><br />French Interior Minister Valls said he didn’t see any imminent terror threat from those EU citizens returning from fighting jihad in Syria.<br /><br />“Today we do not see a direct or indirect on our respective countries, our interests, our fellow citizens, nor against those people or interests of our allies.”<br /><br />Belgium and France are two of nine EU member states sharing information with Australia, Canada and the US on foreign jihadists.<br /><br />The EU’s top anti-terror offical wants airline passenger information made available to keep track of would-be fighters.
