Germany: Fight against IS won't increase security threat

BERLIN – Germany's interior minister says efforts to combat the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria won't increase the risk of attacks at home.

Thomas de Maiziere says authorities expect IS fighters from Europe to try to return as the group faces military setbacks, but that authorities are working to minimize security threats.

He told reporters in Berlin on Tuesday that he didn't see "any additional threat to Germany from the fight against IS (in the region)," noting that "the threat is already high and it's right that we should combat IS militarily."

Speaking after meeting the European Union's security commissioner, de Maiziere said that members states were working to combine databases holding fingerprint, visa and border crossing information, adding that this was "legally difficult, technically complicated and of utmost urgency."