US general says terrorists in 'daily' refugee flow to Europe
WASHINGTON - The top NATO commander in Europe, US Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, said Tuesday that the daily refugee flow into Europe is "masking the movement" of terrorists, criminals and foreign fighters into the continent.
In congressional testimony, Breedlove said the Islamic State extremist group is "spreading like a cancer" within this mix, taking advantage of paths of least resistance, threatening European nations and the United States with terrorist attacks.
Breedlove told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the refugee flow has to be monitored carefully.
He also noted that Russia's actions in Syria have "wildly exacerbated the problem," with Moscow and Syrian President Bashar Assad using migration as a weapon to break European resolve.
