DOZENS OF ITALIAN MILITANTS FIGHTING IN IRAQ, SYRIA

Roma, 29 Syawwal 1435/25 August 2014 (MINA) –Italy’s Interior Minister Angelino Alfano says a few dozen Italians are fighting within the ranks of the Takfiri ISIL militants in Syria and Iraq, expressing concern over the threat they pose to Rome.

In an interview published Sunday in the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Alfano cited the June 29 announcement by the ISIL terror group that its forces would “conquer Rome.”

The Italian government is treating the threat with “high vigilance,” he said, adding that a few dozen Italian citizens are fighting, while a few dozen others have been killed in the militancy in Syria and Iraq, Press TV quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting

The development comes as some European countries have already said a great number of their nationals are involved in Iraq’s and Syria’s militancy.

In June, France’s Prime Minister Manuel Valls said more than 800 French citizens or residents have taken part in the fighting in Syria or are planning to do so.

The French premier warned that the militants operating inside Syria pose an unprecedented security threat when they return home.

Some 400 Britons are also believed to have gone to Syria over the last two years to engage in the foreign-backed militancy that rages in the Arab country.

On August 19, a video clip was released showing a black-masked ISIL militant, who is believed to be British, beheading an American journalist in what was said to be retaliation for US airstrikes against the group in Iraq.

The ISIL terrorists currently control parts of eastern Syria and Iraq’s northern and western regions, where they have been committing heinous crimes, including the mass execution of civilians and Iraqi security forces.

The Western powers and their regional allies especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are reportedly supporting the militants operating inside Syria. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)