Statement of France, April 14, 2016

Just who are these individuals who go to Syria and Iraq to join the ranks of jihadist groups, foremost among them Da’esh? They are young people, with varied profiles — men, women, converts, minors, and so on, from more than 100 countries. In France, this phenomenon has reached extremely alarming proportions, with 600 individuals present in the area, including 217 women and 18 minors. To adapt to this new face of the threat, we have taken some important steps.