France Says Daesh Not Wiped From Map, To Keep Troops in Syria

Local Editor

France will keep its troops in northern Syria for now because Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL’ group] has not been wiped out and continues to pose a threat to French interests, officials said.

France is a leading member of the so-called US-led coalition supposed to be fighting terrorists in Syria and Iraq and has around 1,000 troops including Special Forces based in the north of the country, deployed alongside local Kurdish and Arab forces.

According to Reuters, French diplomats said on Wednesday US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw all its 2,000 troops from the region had taken Paris by surprise.

However, US officials justified the decision by claiming Daesh had been entirely defeated.

“It shows that we can have different priorities and that we must count on ourselves first,” Europe Minister Nathalie Loiseau told C-News television. “For now, of course we are staying in Syria because the fight against Islamic State [Daesh] is essential.”

France is sensitive to Daesh threat after several major attacks on its soil in recent years. Hundreds of French nationals have joined the group in Syria.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team