(VOVworld) - The European Union on Thursday launched a forum bringing together Internet firms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter as well as law enforcement agencies to combat online extremism.

File picture shows frames from a video on the French government website www.stop-djihadisme.gouv.fr, launched in January as part of a social media campaign aimed at discouraging would-be militants. (PHOTO: AFP)

The forum is held amid growing alarm in Europe over the use of social media as a powerful recruiting tool by the Islamic State.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said terrorists are using the Internet to spread their poisonous propaganda. The forum will provide a way to share expert knowledge, reach quick operational decisions, and encourage powerful and credible voices to challenge extremist narratives.

More than 5,000 people from Europe have gone to Syria and Iraq to join extremist groups, according to EU estimates.