NATO's commander warned Tuesday that ISIS fighters hiding in the massive refugee flows from Syria and other areas posed an increasing terrorist threat to the U.S. and Europe.
"I think that they (ISIS) are doing that today," Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's Supreme commander and also head of U.S. European Command, said in testimony to the Senate Armed Services committee.
"I think every refugee flow needs to be looked at with an eye towards it could be taken advantage of by those who seek to do us harm," Breedlove said when asked by several committee members to comment on the hot-button political issue of asylum for refugees.
Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and the panel's chairman, said that based on Breedlove's remarks, "Logic then compels us to assume the risk of attacks on the United States of America or European countries is significantly increased."
Breedlove said, "I would take Daesh at their word -- they have stated they intend to attack the West to include the U.S. and I believe they will take the opportunities" to infiltrate the refugee flows. He was using another word used to describe the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
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