WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — More than 22,000 terrorist fighters from all over the world have already flocked to conflict-torn Syria, including 4,000 terrorists from western countries, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
“We [the United States] must better work with our foreign partners to close the loopholes that allow foreign fighters to slip across borders undetected.”
McCaul argued that such security gaps as the “jihadi superhighway,” running through Turkey and Europe and allowing terrorists exit Syria and Iraq, represent a growing threat to the United States.
“I am deeply concerned that many of our allies, especially in Europe, are still in a ‘pre-9/11’ counterterrorism mindset.”
Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson argued, however, that the US government regularly discusses with international community ways to prevent traveling of foreign fighters.
“My government regularly consults with other partners concerning foreign terrorist fighters in an ongoing effort to prioritize the threat, assess vulnerabilities and adopt measures to prevent and interdict,” Johnson said at UN Interior Ministerial Security Council on Countering Foreign Terrorist Fighters.
