Former French soldiers among Islamic State recruits

About a dozen former members of the French armed forces, including soldiers from the French foreign legion and paratroopers, have joined jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, particularly Islamic State, Radio France Internationale revealed today. The report was confirmed by defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who nonetheless said such cases are "extemely rare".

One former soldier is using skills acquired in the French army to train jihadis in the Deir Ezzor region of Syria. He is reportedly the emir, or commander, of a unit of 10 young Frenchmen.

The former soldiers are considered more dangerous than other French jihadis, because of their inside knowledge of the army. Commentators evoke the risk of a Fort Hood-style attack. In 2009, a Muslim US army psychiatrist killed 13 people at a US army base in Texas.

The report emerged as prominent French politicians from left and right have advocated restoring conscription, to foster a sense of national unity in the wake of Islamist attacks that killed 17 people.

President François Hollande announced that planned cutbacks in army personnel will be diminished by 7,500, because of the need to protect France from radical Islamists. Some 18,300 military posts will nonetheless be axed over the next four years.

The defence ministry deployed an additional 10,500 soldiers across France in the wake of the January 7th-9th attacks. "In all, 122,000 people are ensuring the permanent protection of sensitive places and public areas," prime minister Manuel Valls told a press conference.

The ministry of the interior, and especially domestic intelligence services, will be the main beneficiaries of €735 million in new expenditure over three years. There will be 2,680 jobs created for “the struggle against terrorism”, of which 1,400 will be at the ministry of the interior, 950 at the justice ministry and 250 at the defence ministry, Mr Valls said.

Another 1,100 people will be assigned to domestic intelligence services which fight terrorism, he said.

Bulletproof vests

France will spend €425 million on new equipment and material such as bulletproof vests, while €310 million on hiring new personnel. Mr Valls did not elaborate on his claim that “deficits will continue to diminish and the overall number of state employees will be stable”.

A new law on intelligence gathering will be presented at the beginning of April. It will facilitate wire-tapping, which will be subject to control by an independent authority.

Persons figuring on a new terrorist watch-list will be required to report their address and any trips abroad at regular intervals. Five prison wings will be reserved for radical Islamists.

Sixty new, state-trained Muslim prison chaplains will be hired; a 30 per cent increase.

An additional €60 million has been budgeted for “prevention of radicalisation”. Apart from “cyber patrols” to remove jihadist content from the internet and a government website to advise parents, it is not clear how “deradicalisation” will be achieved.

The number of French people involved in the war in Syria and Iraq has grown 130 per cent in the past year, to about 1,300, Mr Valls said. Some 500 more are involved in other networks such as Pakistan-Afghanistan, Yemen and Libya, or in the “Francophone cyber jihadist sphere”.

Under surveillance

In total, the prime minister continued, “close to 3,000 people” need to be placed under surveillance. “This effort is massive, but it is indispensable to guarantee the security and the protection of the French people,” he added.

Ultimately, France's beefed-up anti-terrorist forces are only as strong as their weakest link. On December 30th, 10 days before Amedy Coulibaly murdered a policewoman, then killed four Jewish hostages, he was stopped at the wheel of a rental car by two motorcycle cops, for a routine identity check, the Canard Enchaîné reported. The alert system consulted by the policemen indicated that Coulibaly was dangerous and belonged to "Islamist circles". They notified their superiors and the anti-terrorism department. No one reacted.

Anne Hidalgo, the socialist mayor of Paris, has filed a lawsuit on behalf of her city against the US network Fox News.

In the wake of the attacks, Fox's "expert", Nolan Peterson, reported that neighbourhoods such as Belleville, Boulevard Magenta, République, Père Lachaise and Montmartre were "no-go zones" held by Islamists.