PARIS,(ST)_ France Minister of the Interior Manuel Valls admitted that there are dozens ,of what he called French jihadists in Syria, while a handful of them are currently in Mali.
“we know there are networks and groups to transfer beginner jihadists .. yesterday, they were in Afghanistan or Pakistan and today dozens of them are in Syria,”, the French minister said in a statement to the NBFM TV on Sunday, adding that there a handful of French or residents in France in Mali .
He also confirmed a handful of those Jihadists are in Somalia in Yemen or the coast, which is worrying.
On the French military intervention in Mali Valls said if it did not happen, Mali will be today a terrorist state at the doors of the Arab Maghreb, adding that “We also in France fight this internal enemy of extremists who occupied the north of Mali until recently.”
While he considered terrorism as a challenge not only for France but for Europe and the countries of Africa and Morocco, he did not justify his government’ s support of terrorism in Syria .
“We should not forget that the first victims of terrorism in the world today are Muslims before others.” He said.
T. Fateh