60 Germans died fighting for IS — intelligence chief

Some 60 Germans have been killed while fighting under the banner of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, the head of the German domestic intelligence service said Sunday.

“About 60 people from Germany have died or killed themselves, at least nine in suicide attacks,” Hans-George Maassen told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

“That’s a sad success for Islamist propaganda.”

In all, about 550 German nationals have joined IS in the conflict zone, and of these 180 have returned to Germany, he said.

In mid-October, Germany announced new measures to prevent its citizens from traveling to join the jihadist cause in Iraq and Syria, including confiscating their identity papers.

Concerns are mounting in Europe over the growing national security threat posed by jihadists returning from the war-ravaged countries.