The Islamic State or ISIS is now greatly benefiting from the current immigration crisis by working with smugglers and human traffickers to attract recruits and expand their operations to Europe. According to a new report, aside from providing safe passage across the Mediterranean, the terrorist group also attracts potential members through cash incentives.
The latest report regarding the recruitment operations of ISIS was conducted by the anti-extremism group the Quilliam Foundation. According to the group, ISIS targets refugees fleeing from conflict-torn countries such as Syria.
But, in order to make the dangerous journey to reach the Mediterranean cost in the hopes of gaining asylum status in another region such as Europe, many of these refugees have to pay smugglers and human traffickers as much as $560 for safe passage, Express reported.
Capitalizing on this situation, members of ISIS have started working with smugglers by paying for the fees of the refugees. Aside from this, they also entice refugees into joining the terrorist organization by giving them $1,000. This way, by the time they reach Europe or the refugee centers of other countries, they are already members of ISIS. From there, they can carry out lone wolf attacks or work in groups to execute the terrorist organization’s large-scale plans.
Apart from recruiting through incentives, ISIS also makes use of indoctrination to create future terrorists. For this method, they mainly target children who have been traumatized by conflict. They also target young girls who can be used to raise a new generation of ISIS fighters, according to Independent.
As noted by the Quilliam Foundation, about 10,000 child refugees have already disappeared during the journey from their country to Europe. The foundation believes that many of these children have been taken by ISIS.
These recruitment methods clearly show that ISIS is building a force that’s strong and big enough to last for generations. Furthermore, the report highlights the need to enforce strict refugee and immigration laws to prevent the terrorist organization from infiltrating other countries.
