Terrorists exploiting refugee influx into Europe: Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that terrorists exploited the flow of genuine asylum seekers into Europe as cover for smuggling members into the continent.
"In part, the refugee flow was even used to smuggle terrorists,” said Merkel while addressing supporters of her Christian Democratic Union party in eastern Germany on Monday.
According to Merkel’s much criticized open-door policy, Germany registered about 1.1 million refugees between January and December 2015.
Merkel’s announcement comes just one week after the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Hans-Georg Maassen, announced that 17 Daesh terrorists had entered Germany.
Europe is facing an unprecedented influx of refugees, most of whom are fleeing conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East, particularly Syria.
Many blame major European powers themselves for the unprecedented exodus, saying their policies have led to a surge in terrorism and war in the violence-wracked regions.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-sponsored militancy since March 2011. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.
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