- Title: French FM says checks will be made to weed out militants fleeing Mosul
- Date: 20th October 2016
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 20, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-MARC AYRAULT, AND IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER, IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE POLICEMEN AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, JEAN-MARC AYRAULT, SAYING: "Before settling them (displaced civilians) into welcome facilities until they can return to their homes, there will be checks. They'll be carried out to prevent jihadists trying to escape from slipping into the crowds. We already know that there is intelligence that some have decided to flee. They're not all going to flee, some are staying to wage an extremely violent war." JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER, IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI, SAYING: "I urge the media to respect the truth. Whoever is telling you that the popular mobilisation units are committing crimes or behaving badly, it is not true. They should provide evidence on that because that is not happening." AYRAULT AND AL-JAAFARI LEAVING
- Embargoed: 4th November 2016 12:45
- Keywords: Ayrault Jaafari Iraq Islamic State Mosul France
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA00154T9ETJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Thursday (October 20) that checks would be carried out on crowds fleeing Mosul to ensure militants did not escape hidden among civilians.
French President Francois Hollande earlier said it was vital that the assault on Mosul did not simply lead to Islamic State militants holing up in other areas -- notably Raqqa over the Syrian border.
"Before settling them (displaced civilians) into welcome facilities until they can return to their homes, there will be checks. They'll be carried out to prevent jihadists trying to escape from slipping into the crowds," Ayrault told a news conference in Paris.
He made the comments after a meeting of ministers and diplomats from a number of Western and Middle Eastern countries to plan for peace after Islamic State has been routed from its Iraqi stronghold.
Asked what guarantees he could make that Sunni residents of Mosul would be protected from Shi'ite militias after the fall of Mosul, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said such crimes had not taken place.
"I urge the media to respect the truth. Whoever is telling you that the popular mobilisation units are committing crimes or behaving badly, it is not true. They should provide evidence on that because that is not happening," he said, adding that the units are part of the Iraqi forces who are under the authority of the prime minister, who is commander in chief of the Iraqi army forces.
Retaking Mosul would signal the defeat of the ultra-hardline Sunni jihadists in Iraq but could lead to further sectarian bloodletting, something the Baghdad government and its international backers are keen to prevent.
The Paris meeting will seek to put together some guidelines on how to administer the city after the departure of Islamic State, but also protecting civilians and providing aid. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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