France scrambles to move ISIS detainees out of Syria ahead of U.S. withdrawal
PARIS – France is accelerating plans to end its military commitment in Syria and is considering airlifting captured foreign ISIS fighters out of the country, fearing that the precipitous American withdrawal of forces from the battlefield will leave liberated areas unstable and make it impossible to contain the prisoners.
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s sudden announcement in December that he was pulling American forces out of Syria, a senior French official tells NBC News the country is scrambling to adjust its military posture in anticipation of a power vacuum in northeastern Syria as it carries on fighting against the Islamic State. Of critical concern to French military planners is implementing a plan to deal with captured ISIS fighters and get them to get of the country before a U.S. withdrawal…
