France: Nearly 100 Foreign Militants Enter Syria via Turkish Border “Each Week”
French military intelligence estimates show that around 100 foreigners continue to enter Syria from Turkey each week to join the ISIL, Le Figaro reported.
“According to the Directorate for Military Intelligence (DRM) in Paris, each week, around 100 foreigners continue to cross Turkey into Syria to join the ISIL,” French daily Le Figaro reported on Wednesday, citing sources.
France’s foreign minister said on Sunday that questions needed to be asked on whether Turkey was a viable partner in the fight against the ISIL in Syria and would raise the issue in a coalition meeting in Washington this week.
Turkey is among the main supporters of the militant groups operating in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri elements there and facilitates their safe passage into the violence-wracked country. Ankara has also been accused of buying smuggled oil from the ISIL.
But, only one week before the military coup in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled a U-turn change in foreign policy.
Four days after the coup, Erdogan appeared in front of the TV cameras again, saying that he would soon declare a new foreign policy which would put an end to disputes and differences with Turkey’s neighboring states.
United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict that has gripped Syria for over five years now. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures that it receives from various sources.
