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Mr Rowley confirmed the flow of individuals travelling to the conflict in the Middle East had slowed, but there remained a risk of those overseas trying to radicalise people in Britain to potentially conduct attacks here.

Writing in The Telegraph, Security Minister Ben Wallace said the practice wasn't necessarily restricted to adults but also children.

He says teachers must be aware of to the "grooming practices of terrorist radicalisers" and report their concerns, as outlined by the Government's Prevent strategy.

He says: "It is not about spying and it is not about closing down debate and discussion on religion or politics. The Prevent duty brings countering violent radicalisation into the wider safeguarding fold."

He says he knows of cases where children have been saved from harm, andadds: "Isiluse children to not only spread fear but to carry out murders. Daesh see no difference between the UK and the middle east to unleash their terror. "

But while that is happening, focus is also being paid to far-right extremism in recent months, particularly stirring up violence in communities, Mr Rowley said.

It would be wrong to suggest it was of the same gravity as the threat from Daesh and Al-Qaida, but there are extreme right-wing groups who are trying to provoke violence in communities, trying to sow discord and divide communities and on occasion using violence," he added

Mr Rowley was speaking as part of a major new campaign calling on the public to report any suspicions and help foil new plots - praising their contribution as "extraordinary". This comes at a time when security services are dealing with new challenges, such asterrorists use encrypted communications methods.

Mr Wallace welcomed the move, saying: "The horror of recent terrorist attacks in Europe and beyond is a shocking reminder of the threat we all face."

The official threat level for international terrorism in the UK has stood at severe - meaning an attack is highly likely - for two years.

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Anti-terror Chief: Defeating ISIS in Iraq and Syria 'will not eradicate terrorism problem in the UK' - Telegraph.co.uk

At first shock and fear, but the media embed training in Iraq taught Elizabeth Creasy some important lessons.

Elizabeth Creasyis spending four days embedded with Task Group Taji in Iraq. The combined Australian-New Zealand military training group is assisting Iraqi soldiers and police officers in the fight against ISIS.

Oh my God, no!

That was my mums reaction when I told her, in a few weeks time, Id be travelling to Iraq to report on Australias involvement in the war.

Her mind went straight to ISIS, kidnappings, beheadings

I understood why she was so worried. I was worried too. This would be my first media embed in a war zone. But as it turns out, this was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

A four-day intensive media embed training in Iraq taught some surprising lessons. (Supplied: Elizabeth Creasy)

I was safely stationed with Task Group Taji, following them as they carried out their mission to train Iraqi soldiers, who would then return to the battlefield to take on ISIS with new skills and a better chance of survival.

I was on the ground for just four days, but in that short time I was able to meet local Iraqis who shared their stories of loss at the hands of ISIS and now hope, in part, thanks to the Australian Defence Force.

Speaking to these humble, proud and passionate people opened my eyes to a world I have never really understood.

Often when we hear about war we become desensitised to the suffering of the community. This trip showed me there are real people being killed and injured every day by ISIS and there are even more who are fighting back.

So many young men who have been forced to flee their homes in Mosul are now joining the army or the police force to help take back what was stolen from them.

I also witnessed something us Aussies go on about almost every day mateship.

The Australian soldiers on the ground in Iraq spend every single day training the local forces. But theyre also forming friendships and changing lives; helping to liberate this war-torn country.

Members of Task Group Taji. (Supplied: Elizabeth Creasy)

Most of them are young men in their early to mid-twenties - but they show maturity beyond their years. Their dedication to their mission is absolute.

Many have learnt Arabic in an effort to show respect to the locals and open up communication. It doesnt go unnoticed.

During my embed one senior officer told the soldiers: You are Australias best ambassadors, you will uphold our countrys reputation just by doing your job.

He was right.

READ MORE: Milestones and military life with Task Group Taji

READ MORE: Meeting the Australians behind the fight against ISIS

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Elizabeth Creasy: The surprising lesson learnt in Iraq - 9news.com.au

Weekly news magazine "Der Spiegel" reported the increase in the number of homegrown jihadis in their latest issue, not long after Germany's domestic intelligence service warned that Islamic extremism was spreading in the country.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) said that 910 suspected jihadis had left Germany to travel to Iraq and Syria, a noticeable increase from the roughly 800 extremists reported about a year ago, "Spiegel" reported.

More than half of the extremists hold German citizenship, and around a fifth of them are women. Some 145 of the extremists are said to have already been killed in Syria and Iraq, the magazine added.

According to the government, a third of the jihadis have since returned to Germany, at least 70 of whom took part in fighting abroad.

However, "Spiegel" also noted that overall the rate of militants traveling from Germany to Iraq and Syria has declined in comparison to previous years - a likely consequence of the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group losing its foothold in much of the region.

Islamic extremism on the rise

In February, the BfV, Germany's domestic security and intelligence agency, said the radical Islamist scene had grown considerably in Germany, from around 100 people in 2013 to some 1,600 today.

The agency receives "between two and four credible tips about planned terrorist activity in Germany each day," the BfV said, likely due to the heavy coverage terror plots receive, as well as the increased accessibility to online extremists.

Of those 1,600 extremists, BfV chief Hans-Georg Maassen said that around 570 were "dangerous" - meaning they were thought to be capable of carrying out a terrorist attack.

A terrorist attack carried out at a Berlin Christmas market in December raised awareness within Germany of the growing problem of homegrown terrorism. For example, the government said that many of the 800 people who left Germany in 2015 to travel to Syria and Iraq were connected to so-called "hate preachers" based in Germany.

Excerpt from:
Report: Jump in number of jihadis traveling from Germany to Iraq, Syria - Deutsche Welle

Published time: 5 Mar, 2017 15:01

The much-awaited fall of Mosul will not result in ISIS defeat in Iraq, which is likely to split like Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and other states torn by political or ethnic rifts, the leader of Iraqi Kurdistan said in an interview with Italian media.

Masoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region since 2005, told La Stampa newspaper that the liberation of Mosul, where US-backed Iraqi troops continue their advance on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), will not bring the defeat of the terrorist group.

The fall of Mosul will not result in the defeat of IS, they will opt for other offensive tactics, both inside and outside the city, he argued. To beat them, you have to defeat them on different levels, including in ideology, economy and social issues. Their terror will last for a long time.

As the battle of Mosul progressed, leaders of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) began to discuss scenarios of how northern Iraq mostly populated by Kurds would look when the terrorist group is forced out of the city. Though Peshmerga paramilitary forces have joined forces with Iraqi troops against IS, many Kurdish leaders say the time has come for Kurdistan to secede.

Barzani, and outspoken advocate of Kurdish autonomy, also said he believes Iraq will end up like Czechoslovakia a former socialist state which split in 1993 into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In the Middle East and Europe, history has shown that states created after the First and Second World Wars have proved unsustainable and fictitious. Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia have faded away, as it happens today to the legacy of Sykes-Picot, he said, referring to a secret 1916 pact negotiated by British diplomat Mark Sykes and his French counterpart Francois Georges-Picot to define both countries spheres of influence on the former Ottoman Empire lands in the Middle East.

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Many historians believe the pact was elaborated without any regard to the ethnic or sectarian features of the Arab world, which resulted in conflict and religious discord.

A desire to keep Iraq united is there but the reality says that it is already divided by unsolvable problems. Sunnis and Shiites have been fighting for 1,400 years and we Kurds are the victims of this war, Barzani said. We have to find a new formula of coexistence.

He added that defeating Islamic State in parts of Iraq came at the cost of Kurdish lives, and that too many massacres have taken place, so there is no room for reconciliation.

Independence of Kurdistan would create a stability area in this region. We have already seen too much blood and injustice. Our society is to be based on the rule of law, respect for democratic values as well as coexistence between different identities, Barzani concluded.

The KRG is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurdish autonomous region of northern Iraq. In July 2014, President Barzani announced that Iraqi Kurds would hold an independence referendum. However, with the emergence of IS, the security situation forced these plans to be postponed.

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Fall of Mosul won't spell end of ISIS, Iraq may split apart Kurd ... - RT

As President Trump begins to lay out his policies for the Middle East, he will find a region in chaos -- and impossible choices ahead.

But in an exclusive interview with Fox News, the former vice president of Iraq, Ayad Allawi, said he looks forward optimistically to the president's policies, as he looks back sadly at former President Barack Obamas errors.

Speaking at his home in central Baghdad for the first time since Trump's election, Allawi is now able to open up about Obama's major mistakes, which critics say brought Iraq into turmoil and which Trump will need to address.

America has lost a lot of potential friends here in the region. and this is something that the new administration has to address.

Obamas principal error, says Allawi, was his disengagement from a country and a region which desperately needed U.S. support. At a time when Iraq couldnt stand on its own, Obama left -- leaving a vacuum for Iran to fill. Irans new influence, he says, is behind much of the bloodshed.

When our American friends left Iraq in 2011 they never laid down the issues that would strengthen the Iraqis to face the challenges ahead -- their sudden withdrawal in 2011 without the necessary preparation left us many problems to face.

Allawi, who also served as interim prime minister in 2014-2015, was very clear about Irans impact.

Its leading to bloodshed, to catastrophes and to wars around the Middle East.It has been a destabilizing factor. Its destabilizing Iraq, its destabilizing Syria its destabilizing other areas.

This Iranian influence, he said, could be traced firmly back to Obama. In 2010, Allawi won the elections in Iraq, winning the seats, but was pressured by the Obama administration to back down -- in a direct interference with the political system.

Biden came several times here; in fact, he used to come once a week to convince me to withdraw my interest and I told him we are not interested in withdrawing.

Eventually Obama got his way, and Iranian-backed Nouri Maliki stepped in. This is the moment Allawi sees as a turning point for Iraq Today large parts of the army are under Iranian control (via their support for Shia militias) and many state institutions also answer to Iran.

Today another country is also moving into the region Russia. But Allawi believes Russian President Vladimir Putin can and should be worked with to defeat ISIS.

I dont think we should look at competition here between the U.S. and Russia, but rather as supplementing each other, and this is what I look forward to -- what the new administration will do.

Allawi also doesnt believe the battle against ISIS is the final one.

I can see a lot of problems that will emerge after ISIS is defeated because I always say that not only is the military victory against ISIS enough, it needs to be supported by political gains."

Allawi says he hopes to unite Iraq -- Sunni, Shia and Kurdish -- but acknowledges it wont be easy -- Iraq is engulfed in sectarianism -- and many in the region, not least Iran, thrive on division.

He also hoped for U.S. support moving forward.

We dont want to see more American power here, we dont want to see more American troops here, we dont want to see more Americans being killed here in this country. But we need the political leverage of the U.S. to help Iraq and to develop Iraq."

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FOX Exclusive: Former Iraqi Vice President Allawi speaks on US relations, Trump - Fox News