French President Francois Hollande declared on Monday that “France is at War” in the wake of the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris that claimed the lives of 132 people. Seven of the eight terrorists detonated themselves with suicide jackets after wreaking havoc in the capital of France for hours.
In a rare address to both houses of legislature on Monday, President Hollande addressed the issues of anti-terrorist intelligence and called for an increase in internal security. He also called for reforms to the laws on nationalities of the French national terrorists and asked for reforms to deportation laws for terrorists who hold French nationality.
In the light of the latest series of events—and how the investigation is pouring over further information—no one can blame Hollande for asking for major reforms to the laws regarding terrorists and terrorism. France has also increased its military activities in Iraq and Syria, particularly against the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which claimed responsibility for the Parisian Massacre.
“We are not committed to a war of civilizations, because these assassins don’t represent any civilization,” President Hollande said. “We are in a war against terrorism, jihadism, which threatens the whole world. Terrorism will not destroy France, because France will destroy it.”
On Sunday, the French Air Force attacked the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Iraq, targeting its munitions depot and a training center. Furthermore, the French President has vowed to increase military strikes in ISIS-captured regions to eradicate this menace that took 132 lives and wounded more than 600.
The French President called for 5,000 more positions to be opened in the French Paramilitary Force to increase national security. He also rejected any cuts in the military budget until 2019, the approximate time he thinks will be required to defeat ISIS. He has called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the latest developments in the war against terrorism and an increase in the intensity of military advancements in Iraq and Syria.
ISIS, in its latest video, has also threatened the United States with a terrorist attack. “I swear to God, as we struck France in its stronghold, Paris, we will strike America in its stronghold, Washington,” an ISIS fighter, known an Al-Ghareeb the Algerian declared in a video released on Monday.
On the other hand, French and Belgian police and paramilitary have made progress in investigations of the attacks. So far, they have confiscated a rocket launcher and a bulletproof jacket, the French Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said in a statement.
They have identified Salah Abdselem as one of the conspirators and accomplices of the eight terrorists who attacked Paris. As of Monday, he is at large, managing to slip through the Belgian and French authorities on the night of the attack. He was stopped for questioning on the Belgian border but was released, as he was not linked to the attacks at that time. However, both French and Belgian authorities have released his picture along with his description and have warned the pubic that he is dangerous and should not be approached directly.
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