French Special Operations Forces are targeting French citizens fighting for ISIS
In a bold move that will cause outrage from the leftist fringe of their homeland, members of France’s Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (English: Special Operations Command) have begun targeting French citizens who joined ISIS for elimination from the battlefield. As is standard procedure, the exact units taking part in these operations are not being revealed. But the French COS is structured very similar to America’s SOCOM, with elements from all four branches of their military. The French commandos are working with their Iraqi counterparts to hunt down and eliminate French nationals who have joined the Islamic State over the last several years; several of their targets have risen to senior leadership positions within the terrorist organization.
The influx of French nationals in ISIS has been a known problem for years. In 2014, it was estimated that 1,000 French citizens were involved with ISIS in some capacity. In 2010, the Pew Research Center estimated that the population of Muslims in France was 7.5%; they believe this number will grow to 10.3% by 2030. According to research conducted in 2014 by ICM Unlimited for Rossiya Segodnya, 15% of French citizens had a favorable view of ISIS. Given this struggle, and the fruits of this problem exploding into the global news after the November 2015 attacks in Paris, a solid plan of action was needed.
So far, the French Ministry of Defense has declined to comment on the operations in Iraq, only saying that “French forces work in close cooperation with their Iraqi and international partners” to fight jihadists “regardless of national origin.” Currently, it is estimated that there are 1,200 French troops involved in the battle to retake Mosul and drive ISIS out of Iraq.
As the French do not have drones in their arsenal with lethal capabilities, they have to rely heavily on their special operators capabilities. Reportedly, 40 special operators are on the ground with surveillance drones and radio intercept equipment in Mosul. After their target locations are identified, the French special operations members are providing the intelligence and targeting data to Iraqi artillery and ground fighting units. These elite French service members reportedly keep a targeting deck on hand, filled with French nationals that are part of ISIS; the information is updated as each terrorist is checked off the list.
When the French initially joined the American-led bombing campaign of ISIS in 2015, there was a flurry of discussion over the legal and ethical implications of targeting their own citizens for military strikes. Back in the pseudo safe areas of French government buildings, lawmakers even objected to proposals to strip French nationals of their citizenship if they join terrorist organizations. However, it looks like the men in the military have realized the folly of inaction and have decided to end the fight overseas.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a senior Iraqi counterterrorism official said “They are dealing with them here, because they don’t want to deal with them at home. It’s their duty. It’s common sense.”
Given Mattis’ statement — that the U.S. has switched to “annihilation tactics” against ISIS — one can only hope that any American national who has made the choice to betray us meets the same swift and violent end. “Our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive the fight to return home to North Africa, to Europe, to America, To Asia, to Africa,” Mattis said. “We’re not going to allow them to do so. We’re going to stop them there and take apart the caliphate.”
