Second Wind? Daesh Ditching Syria, Iraq for Better Luck in Europe

Daesh failures in Syria and Iraq do not mean that the terrorist threat does not exist anymore. German authorities fear that a large number of terrorists will come to Europe and carry out terrorist attacks, similar to those in Paris and Brussels, Austrian newspaper Die Presse reported.

Daesh has suffered a series of defeats in Syria and Iraq, but it does not mean that the problem of terrorism has been solved, the newspaper wrote.

On the contrary, the threat of attacks is growing.

"We fear externalization, transfer of IS [Daesh] activities to Europe," German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said earlier.

The terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels give enough reasons for concerns. The Istanbul massacre also raises a lot of questions.

"So far it remains unknown who committed the massacre at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport. No one has claimed responsibility. But the attack in the Turkish capital resembles the handwriting of the terrorist organization Islamic State [Daesh]," the newspaper wrote.

On Tuesday evening, three suicide blasts rocked the international terminal of Istanbul's Ataturk international airport killing over 40 people. Initial indications suggest that Daesh is responsible for the terrorist attack, though the investigation is still underway.

"[The choice] of the scene corresponds to the current tactics of the IS. The attack on the third largest airport on the continent, which millions of Europeans know as a transit node, causes fear far beyond the borders of Turkey, and thus attracts even more attention," the newspaper wrote.

Earlier, German media reported that Germany is one of the main targets of Daesh terrorists. The attacks in Paris and Brussels have demonstrated that the terrorists are capable of conducting complex operations and have high-level planning skills, Frankfurter Rundschau wrote.

"The so-called Islamic State has been weakened in Syria and Iraq," Holger Münch, president of the Federal Criminal Police (BKA) said, cited by the newspaper. "The terror group is thus under pressure and needs spectacular actions to attract attention and demonstrate power," he added.

According to another German newspaper, Die Welt, German authorities have already managed to prevent several terrorist attacks in the country. In particular, the newspaper refers to the arrest of three terror suspects who have planned an attack in the city center of Düsseldorf.

The newspaper noted that German security authorities are on guard. However, it doesn't mean there are no reasons for worries.

"Just because a major terrorist attack in German was successfully prevented once, doesn't mean there is a reason to relax. On the contrary, the fact that IS sends its fighters disguised as refugees from Syria with a terrorist mission, shows that Germany is being specifically targeted by the Islamist militia," Die Welt noted.