The war against extremist group ISIL has brought results, but the number of terrorist attempts will persist into 2017.Nevertheless, the threat assessment of ISIL in Norway unchanged, Military Intelligence says.
– The war against ISIL has begun to yield results. The organization is wise financially and operationally also has had its capacities weakened .
ISIL will weaken further in Iraq but also in Syria and Libya, Brigt Harr Vaage officer in the Military Intelligence stated during the Vulnerability conference onTuesday.
However, he believes that there will be increased friction within the group, and people leaving for other extremist groups such as al-Qaeda. ISIL’s impact will still be great for several years because the idea of the Caliphate will remain strong, he points out.
– Therefore, it is likely that the high number of attempted attacks will persist into 2017. There is little reason to believe that the number of attempted attacks will decrease, Vaage says and stresses that IS ‘threat to Europe will only become even more complex and unpredictable in the years to come.
On the subject of Norway and Norwegian interests, Vaage points that the threat of IS is influenced by the same trends and challenges as in other European countries.
– PST and the Intelligence Service still considers the threat level unchanged after the terrorist attacks this summer. Norway is considered to be a legitimate target by ISIL, but not a high priority target, he says.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
