Terrorists who pose a threat to Europe are arriving on the continent every day among waves of "legitimate" refugees fleeing war in Syria and Iraq, the top NATO commander in Europe says.
Islamic State militants are among those who are "taking advantage of paths of least resistance" to reach Europe alongside desperate refugees, US Air Force General Philip Breedlove said.
Gen Breedlove said the extremist group is "spreading like cancer" and "threatening European nations" by joining the vast movement of refugees escaping conflict in the Middle East.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen Breedlove was asked whether IS will continue to infiltrate refugee flows.
He responded: "I think that they are doing that today."
Fears about IS fighters infiltrating Europe and the US have fuelled legislation to crack down on Syrian and Iraqi refugees seeking to enter the US.
A new bill passed by the House of Representatives would require FBI background checks and individual sign-offs from three high-ranking federal officials before any Syrian or Iraqi refugee could enter the US.
The legislation cleared the House in November in the aftermath of the Paris attacks.
But Senate Democrats are opposing the changes, saying they reflect Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's call to bar Muslims from coming to the US.
Gen Breedlove said in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, "legitimate" refugees began fleeing the region.
But he said that situation has changed in recent months.
"This criminality, the terrorists, and the returning foreign fighters are clearly a daily part of the refugee flow in Europe," he said.
"What we have seen is that this is putting great pressure on the nations of Europe."
Almost 130,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea since the beginning of this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
The number of arrivals in the first two months of 2016 is more than 11 times as many as the same period last year.
(Sky News)
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