A French journalist and Middle East expert has told Sputnik that Europe should prepare for systematic attacks by Islamic State militants in the coming year.
MOSCOW, December 30 — In an interview with Sputnik, well-known French journalist and Middle East intelligence services expert Jean-Michel Vernochet said that he foresees an impending Islamic State group attack on Europe in the very near future.
According to Vernochet, there are some who, in addition to seeking "to transform Europe into the land of Islam," also "want to turn it into the land of war."
"You’ve probably heard about the recent events in France – in Nantes and in Dijon, in the suburbs of large cities," Vernochet recalls. "Police officers attacked by people wielding knives; cars ramming into crowds –in Nantes and in Dijon! Some people were seriously hurt. And more of these incidents keep happening."
"Therefore," Vernochet explains, "Europe cannot consider itself safe, especially considering the fact that France, together with the United Kingdom and Australia (you’ve probably heard of what happened there recently), are members of the US-led coalition of 61 states assembled to fight [IS]."
Worst of all, in the journalist's view, is the fact that the Islamic State is "a movement created and supported by the United States," which "may at first seem paradoxical." Vernochet likened what he viewed as simultaneous US support for and campaign against IS as being akin to "a brake next to a gas pedal in a race car. On the one hand, the movement is being supported, and on the other, it is being opposed and contained." Vernochet marked this apparent paradox down to geopolitical interests.
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Vernochet believes that in today's interconnected world there is no point in using "concepts of global or local wars…[as] both of these concepts are intertwined." The journalist cited the presence of Islamic militants from across the world participating in the conflict in Mesopotamia and the Levant. "Those who believe that only local activists participate in regional conflicts should be reminded of Chechen fighters in Syria and Iraq. Another example is the stream of Uygur militants coming from China," the expert explained.
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In his recent book "Les Egares: Le Wahhabisme est-il un contre Islam?" ("The Perplexed: Is Wahhabism One Against Islam?") Vernochet provides what he says is "a comprehensive description of the world of Muslim sects that are intertwined with US intelligence, which [have] turned Saudi Arabia into an instrument of war." Vernochet notes that "Sunni Islam [was] always inspired by the example of the Ottoman Empire as the embodiment of ummah – "the Islamic world". During the First World War the West created a monster [in the Middle East] that somewhat resembles the European Protestant sects of the 17th century. The Protestant sects gave birth to America, and the Sufi sects gave birth to the terrorist state that is now so dear to Washington."
Most controversially of all, Vernochet notes that "now, having cleared some space, the US, together with Saudi Arabia, is building an entire army poised to attack Europe. This is an experienced army that has no qualms about chopping off heads… Its warriors have been fighting since their teens and they have already lost everything…. Alas, poor West!"