Britain’s history in the Middle East makes it a target for Islamic State terrorists and it must deal with the threat from jihadists for “some considerable time to come”, a former deputy head of MI6 has warned.
Nigel Inkster said Britain’s role drawing up the modern map of the region made it a target for the Islamic militants who want to wipe away those borders for a new religious state.
But he said there is no case for America or Britain to send troops into Iraq to help the Baghdad government defeat fighters who have seized swathes of the country.
A “small but potentially significant” number of British and Europeans jihadists who can easily travel to the UK are already fighting in Iraq and Syria.
He said: “From a longer term perspective, I think the Islamic State would see it as part of its strategy to undertake attacks against former colonial powers.” » | Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent | Tuesday, August 19, 2014
