France confirms hundreds of nationals fighting as terrorists in Mideast
The French prime minister says around 1,400 people from France have either joined Takfiri terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq or are planning to do so.
“There are 1,400 individuals who are involved in the departures … for terrorism in Syria and in Iraq,” Manuel Valls said on Monday, adding, “There are close to 70 French citizens or residents in France who have died in Syria and Iraq in the ranks of the terrorists.”
Valls confessed that there has been a huge rise in the number of French nationals fighting for terrorist groups in the Middle East over the past two and a half years.
“It is a massive jump in very little time: there were just about 30 cases when I became interior minister [in mid-2012] and 1,400 today” he stated.
France has been a staunch supporter of Takfiri militants fighting to topple Syria’s legitimate government since 2011. However, France’s vigorous backing of the extremist groups has backfired as terrorists allied with the Takfiris launched deadly attacks in the French capital, Paris, earlier this month, killing 17 people.
The Takfiri terrorist groups, with members from several Western countries, control swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, and have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all communities such as Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.
