France concerned over Turkey's military operation in Syria

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France gets increasingly worried about an eventual resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) and a return of French jihadists detained in Kurdish-controled camps, after Turkey carried out a military operation in northeastern Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that Turkey had launched an operation in Syria, saying "our mission is to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area."

"The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, just launched Operation Peace Spring against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party)/ YPG (People's Protection Units) and Daesh (Islamic State) terrorists," Erdogan tweeted.

However, the operation could lead to an unintended release of prisoners associated with the IS. The situation has caused worry in France, since hundreds of French jihadists are currently detained in Kurdish-controled camps.

"The absolute priority must be to stop the resurgence of Islamic State in the region," French President Emmanuel Macron's office said Monday in a statement.

"The risk of Islamic State terrorists escaping because of Turkey offensive is being taken fully into consideration," the statement added.

About 12,000 fighters, including Syrians, Iraqis and foreigners from over 50 countries, are held in Kurdish jails, local media reported citing Kurdish data.

According to media reports, 785 IS affiliates, possibly including several from France, on Sunday fled from the Ain Issa camp after being bombarded by Turkish forces.

On Sunday, Macron presided over an emergency defense cabinet meeting on the Syrian situation, after which he decided to take additional measures "to strengthen the security on French territory in this context."

"This is clearly a great threat to France," said Frederic Pechenard, former general director of the French National Police.

"They must remain detained. It is absolutely essential for our security, for the safety of the French. I have always thought that they should be judged where they committed their abuses," Pechenard told local broadcaster Europe 1.

In addition, some French analysts are also worried about further escalation of the situation.

According to official Syrian Arab News Agency, the Syrian army has deployed troops along its border with Turkey, after it struck a deal with Kurdish forces "to confront the Turkish aggression on Syrian soil," a move likely to further fuel the tension and broaden the conflict in the country.

"This is just the beginning, (and) there is a risk that it strikes even more in the coming weeks. There is a risk of destabilization of the entire region," said Frederic Encel, director of the French Institute of Geopolitics, in an interview with Europe 1.

"France has a fundamental role to play," Encel said, adding that Paris response could include "deployment of more soldiers to tell Turkey that it can not do what it wants. But, it can also be via economic and commercial retaliation."

The Turkish air and ground strikes have displaced 130,000 people, UN data showed.

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