Former French soldiers join ISIS in Iraq and Syria

(IraqiNews.com) On Thursday, a source in the French Ministry of Defense announced, that dozens of former French soldiers, mostly from special forces including foreigners in the French Army, have joined the ISIS organization ranks in Iraq and Syria.

France Press Agency quoted a source in the Defense Ministry as saying, “Dozens of former soldiers in the French Army have joined the ISIS ranks in Iraq and Syria,” adding, “Our concern is not the ex-soldiers only, but also preventing the phenomenon of extremism within our forces.”

For his part, French Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said, “The occurrence of former French soldiers being tempted by terrorists is extremely rare,” noting that, “We should not underestimate those rare cases. Those who go to Iraq and Syria have already been fighters and they possess knowledge of the French forces’ methods of fighting.”

The French Prime Minister Manuel Valls stressed on January 12, 2015 that approximately 1,400 people living in France either had left the country to join the ISIS organization in Iraq and Syria or are planning to do so.

 

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