Paris's Assistance to Iraqi Forces in Finding and Eliminating French ISIS Members

The Wall Street Journal, citing French and Iraqi officials, reports that France has provided the specifications, photos, and potential locations of at least 30 of its citizens fighting with ISIS to Iraqi security forces to locate and eliminate them. According to the published report, Paris's goal is to ensure that these individuals do not pose a threat to the security of France and other European countries upon their return from the battlefield in Iraq. Iraqi forces are currently engaged in the battle to retake Mosul, focusing on several overcrowded areas remaining in the west of the city. The Iraqi army and forces are currently supported by a U.S.-led coalition, which includes around 1,700 French soldiers and military personnel. The Wall Street Journal states that a senior Iraqi counter-terrorism official has shown the specifications of 27 individuals and five photos of French citizens wanted, whom 'Paris has directly requested to eliminate.' A spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry stated that French forces are closely cooperating with their Iraqi and international allies to combat Islamist extremists, emphasizing that this cooperation 'is irrespective of individuals' nationalities.' This official refrained from commenting on the main subject of the Wall Street Journal report, and no French officials have yet reacted to this report. Newsweek, in this context, referenced a book by Vincent Nouzille, a French journalist, titled 'Fatal Mistake,' in which Nouzille claims that former French President François Hollande ordered at least 40 cases of 'extrajudicial killings' of Islamists following deadly ISIS attacks in France. However, these operations, as stated in the book, were carried out by special forces of the 'Action Service' and not, as the Wall Street Journal now claims, at France's request and by forces from another country. The Telegraph reports that Mr. Hollande previously stated in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde that his country's intelligence service had 'compiled a list of individuals believed to have played a role in hostage-taking or activities against our interests,' and he himself allowed 'retaliatory actions' to be taken if an individual was found. In recent months, France has been the scene of the most extensive terrorist attacks by ISIS members or individuals influenced by this group among European countries. Several French citizens who have joined the ranks of the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have also risen to the ranks of senior commanders of this group.