Approximately 60 Australians are currently fighting in the Sunni terrorist group, the Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria
On Tuesday, Australia announced the creation of a specialized service of investigation and intervention in neutralizing jihad candidates for Iraq and Syria, AFP informs.
Empowered to monitor, arrest and bring to justice any candidates suspected of leaving for war zones in the Middle East, this unit will centralize the results of the various intelligence agencies involved.
Prime Minister Tony Abbot has decided to allocate 64 million Australian dollars (45 million euros) for the prevention and suppression of the recruitment of young Australians for jihad, in addition to the 360 million dollars announced in July to consolidate the fight against terrorism.
According to Abbot, approximately 60 Australians are currently fighting in the Sunni terrorist group, the Islamic State, in Iraq and Syria, and another approximately 100 offer logistic and/or financial support in Australia.
Abbot also said that part of the funds will go directly to young people that are currently being recruited, in the form of, for example, an aid for work training and creating jobs.
The return of jihadists from Western countries like Syria is, in the terms of the heads of anti-terrorism, the main risk of terrorist attacks.
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