The neverending debate over what to do with ISIS ‘foreign fighters’ ignores a simple fact: these guys can be very, very dangerous.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — Many countries, including my own (Canada), are having a devil of a time deciding what to do with the so-called ‘foreign fighters’ – i.e. citizens who stupidly left home to join terrorist groups such as ISIS in recent years.
Fortunately, many of those wankers are dead and no longer present a danger to us or to others. Unfortunately, many others are alive and some are in camps or prisons in Iraq and Syria. Unbelievably, these terrorists are now begging for our assistance in repatriating them, despite their profound hatred for our way of life and vows to ‘destroy’ us.
As a result, the default position of many governments is to do nothing, meaning leaving these violent extremists there to suffer whatever fate is in store for them. On the other hand, some are advocating that we bring them home ASAP. I divide these into two primary camps: bleeding hearts and those who are convinced we can in fact facilitate their return, try them and/or rehabilitate them.
The former I have no time for: the latter I do, although I think they grossly overestimate our ability to gather evidence that will stand our high standards of proof as well as the huge uncertainty over what rehabilitation or (shudder!) ‘deradicalisation’ entails.
The bottom line is that these people DO pose a threat to us. They spent time with a terrorist group that got their jollies beheading people and raping women and would do the same here if they had their chance. Will all returnees plan attacks back home? No, but it is next to impossible to predict which ones will and which ones won’t. Historical averages ranging from 1-10% don’t give me a warm feeling: one is too many.
On this day in 2016, bombings at the Brussels airport and a metro station in the city killed 32 people and wounded many, many more.
Today’s featured attack is a case in point. On this day in 2016 bombings at the Brussels airport and a metro station in the city killed 32 people who hailed from many countries and wounded many, many more. These were suicide attacks.
ISIS claimed the attacks and several of the planners are believed to have spent time with the terrorist group in Iraq and/or Syria. In addition, there were links to the November 2015 attacks in Paris. In this case, there was a clear link between actually traveling to be with a terrorist group and carrying out an attack back home.
Simply stated, there is no answer to what to do with foreign fighters. All proffered ‘solutions’ have their pluses and minuses. The next time someone comes up with THE answer, be very, very skeptical.
After all, there is something to be said for the need to pay for one’s mistakes. And joining a terrorist group is a BIG mistake.
