(Politico) Islamic State “no longer has the capacity to send terrorists onto European soil” thanks to “action taken by the international coalition,” the EU’s counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove told Le Monde in an interview published Saturday.
However, he warned “the threat remains complex” including through “isolated actors, with no direct link to the organization.” De Kerchove cautioned, in particular, against growing extremist strength in parts of Africa, saying it was “essential to prevent the emergence on this continent of a new ‘caliphate,’ which could directly threaten Europe.”
“Europe has significantly reduced its vulnerabilities, but there are still uncertainties,” de Kerchove told the French newspaper. He noted that cooperation among national intelligence services has “considerably” increased since the 2015 terrorist attack against the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which left 12 dead.
