Singapore's Deputy PM: Returning ISIS fighters poses long term threat to global security

Security threat of "returnees" from the ongoing conflict in Syria and Iraq will last for decades to come, said Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Thursday at the East Asia symposium on religious rehabilitation and social integration.

Teo, who is also Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, said the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) "has exploited Islam, distorting religious tenets to serve violent political agenda."

Teo said that the number of radicalized fighters today is up to 20,000. They can continue to carry out attacks in their home countries, or further the violent agenda of militant group ISIS by forming their own terrorist groups even after they have left the fighting in the Middle East.

Teo said that many individuals, especially youths, have fallen prey to ISIS' propaganda. Besides, he pointed out that weak religious grounding has been one common characteristic among radicalized individuals who have been investigated in Singapore.

The deputy prime minister said a purely military response to such threats is insufficient. Teo emphasized that social integration is an important component of the holistic effort to neutralize the terror threat for the long term.

The two-day symposium brings together top counter-terrorism officials and academics from more than 30 countries. Endi