Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called on the international community to fight terrorism in Syria, warning that it could soon affect European countries.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called on the international community to fight terrorism in Syria, warning that it could soon affect European countries.

Maliki made the comments at a counter-terrorism conference on Wednesday in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Terrorism has become a global issue that is geographically expanding and its aftershocks will reach European and international capitals in a short period of time," he said.

The Iraqi prime minister also called on regional states to share intelligence and help in the fight against violence, warning that they could experience a similar fate if they did not help end the war in Syria.

He said that Syria has turned into a haven for foreign-backed terrorists.

The premier urged neighboring countries to prevent fatwas allowing violence from being issued.

Since March 2011, Syria has been witnessing violence as the country’s army continues to fight with foreign-backed militants.

More than 130,000 people have reportedly been killed as a result of this violence in Syria. A recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that nearly 2.5 million Syrians have now registered as refugees with UNHCR in neighboring countries in the Middle East.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.