(AFP-France 24) European powers on Monday warned against a threatened Turkish offensive in northern Syria, saying the move would boost Islamic State and spark a new refugee crisis. European governments are particularly worried that a Turkish offensive could allow some of the 2,000 foreign jihadists being held in Kurdish prisons to scatter and provide cover for Europeans among them who want to try to slip back home. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led militia that controls much of northeastern Syria, warned that surviving ISIS cells could take advantage of a Turkish operation to try to spring the extremists out of prison. In the event of a Turkish attack, the Kurdish forces "will have other things on their mind besides guarding jihadists," Michel Duclos, a former French ambassador to Syria, told AFP.
2019-10-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive