By Nicholas Coleman
In an effort to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS, (click here) a coalition of forces consisting of various governments has begun the grueling task of flushing insurgents out of the city. While many of the terrorist organization’s leaders fled the city before the fighting began, ISIS has retained roughly 4,000 to 8,000 fighters within the sizable Iraqi town. Yet, as forces from Iraq, Kurdistan, Australia, and the United States converge, an unbeknownst threat has emerged — the possibility for external violence within bordering E.U. nations.
Although retaking Mosul is pivotal in reducing the regional power of ISIS in Iraq, a significant dilemma facing leaders is the risk of terrorists fleeing elsewhere within the region. While there has been increased surveillance to prevent radical fighters from leaving the town freely, there are thousands of refugees desperately departing Mosul each day. The repeated bombardment of ISIS strongholds within the city creates humanitarian issues, an avenue through which many fighters could escape undetected. According to a report by NBC, “…About one-fifth of ISIS’s total number of fighters, or 3,700 people, are residents or nationals of Western Europe, including 1,200 from France alone.” This means that fighters within Mosul could use their documents to stream back across the open European Union borders....
Oussama Atar is believed to be the leader of the 'at large' ISIS recruiters. Oussama Atar is not yet captured. He is wanted by France.
France was attacked on November 13, 2015. (click here)
November 9, 2016
By News Wires
Oussama Atar, 32, (click here) believed to be a member of the Islamic State group, was already a suspect in the March 22 attacks on Brussels but has now been linked to the Nov. 13 atrocities in Paris last year.
"He's the only coordinator from Syria to have been identified during the investigations," one of the sources told the AFP.
French investigators have long suspected that the Paris attacks, in which teams of militants killed 130 people, were coordinated by one or several people from Syria, but they have not named anyone before now.
Atar, believed to use the pseudonym Abou Ahmad, is a cousin of the El Bakraoui brothers who blew themselves up in the Brussels airport and metro attacks.
Another two cousins, Moustapha and Jawad Benhattal, were arrested on June 18 on suspicion of planning an attack in Belgium during a public screening of a Euro 2016 football match, Belgian media reported at the time.
France is preparing this weekend to mark the anniversary of the Paris attack....
Oussama Atar is believed to be the leader of the 'at large' ISIS recruiters. Oussama Atar is not yet captured. He is wanted by France.
France was attacked on November 13, 2015. (click here)
By News Wires
Oussama Atar, 32, (click here) believed to be a member of the Islamic State group, was already a suspect in the March 22 attacks on Brussels but has now been linked to the Nov. 13 atrocities in Paris last year.
"He's the only coordinator from Syria to have been identified during the investigations," one of the sources told the AFP.
French investigators have long suspected that the Paris attacks, in which teams of militants killed 130 people, were coordinated by one or several people from Syria, but they have not named anyone before now.
Atar, believed to use the pseudonym Abou Ahmad, is a cousin of the El Bakraoui brothers who blew themselves up in the Brussels airport and metro attacks.
Another two cousins, Moustapha and Jawad Benhattal, were arrested on June 18 on suspicion of planning an attack in Belgium during a public screening of a Euro 2016 football match, Belgian media reported at the time.
France is preparing this weekend to mark the anniversary of the Paris attack....
