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TERROR WARS
A dozen former French soldiers waging jihad: defence source
by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) Jan 21, 2015


France to cut 7,500 fewer army jobs than planned after attacks
Paris (AFP) Jan 21, 2015 - President Francois Hollande said Wednesday that France would slash 7,500 fewer military jobs than planned as part of steep defence cuts, following the jihadist attacks in Paris.

The government had initially announced it would cut just under 26,000 defence posts from 2015 to 2019 out of a total of 278,000 civilian and military employees.

The backtrack comes after a three-day Islamist killing spree in Paris left 17 people dead, putting France and neighbouring European countries on high alert.

This year alone some 7,500 military posts were due to be cut but this number will now be reduced to 6,000.

A dozen ex-French soldiers have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria, raising concerns over the possible existence of radical elements within the military, a defence ministry source said Wednesday.

"We estimate at around a dozen the number of former troops who have joined these networks," the source, who wished to remain anonymous, said.

"Our concern is not former soldiers... It's preventing the phenomenon of radicalisation with our forces," the source added.

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian refused to comment directly on the affair.

"The cases of former soldiers being tempted by jihadism are extremely rare," he told a press conference to announce new anti-terrorism measures in the wake of the recent attacks in Paris.

The military's 1,000-strong internal intelligence unit will get 65 extra staff to help vet and track recruits more closely, the ministry announced.

The army's biggest fear is that rogue soldiers could turn their weapons on their comrades or use their combat and explosives know-how to carry out attacks.

RFI radio reported that most of the soldiers-turned-jihadists, whose ranks included former special forces and Foreign Legion members, had joined the Islamic State group.

One was commanding a group of French recruits that he had trained in northeast Syria, the radio added.

"Others are explosives experts," RFI said, adding that the fighters were mostly in their twenties.

According to L'Opinion newspaper, one combatant had served in the elite 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment.

After five years of service the soldier joined a private security firm protecting oil fields in the Arabian peninsula, the paper reported in its online edition.

"That's where he progressively became radicalised, growing a beard and subscribing to Islamist ideology," added L'Opinion, which quoted unnamed sources as saying he was fired and then travelled to Syria.

French intelligence sources said the former paratrooper was "known" to them.


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Spain said Tuesday it hopes Iran will join the global fight against Islamic extremism if Tehran reaches an agreement with world powers over its disputed nuclear programme. "Iran is critically important in the region," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said on the sidelines of a business forum in Madrid. "I hope that if a solution is found for the Iranian nuclear issue, Iran c ... read more


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