Hollande Calls for Vigilance as Foreign Fighters May Carry Out Terror Attacks

French President Francois Hollande said that the need for cooperation and a coordinated exchange of intelligence data to help detain the Daesh militants and prevent them from committing new acts of terrorism.

PARIS (Sputnik) — It is necessary to prevent foreign fighters who have been fighting alongside the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militants and may return to their countries from Iraq and Syria from carrying out terrorist acts, French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday.

"We need to show the utmost vigilance with regard to the possible return of foreign fighters, who are now in the Mosul area, and potentially Raqqa, and may want to return to their countries," Hollande said, opening the meeting of the US-led coalition's defense ministers in Paris.

Daesh will attempt to commit new attacks, no matter where, the French leader noted.

He stressed the need for cooperation and a coordinated exchange of intelligence data to help detain the militants and prevent them from committing new acts of terrorism.

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of the military operation to retake Mosul from the Daesh militants. According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation, backed by air strikes carried out by the US-led international coalition.