The French President Francois Hollande has vowed to “strengthen his country’s role” in the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria after a deadly attack on Nice which has not yet been claimed by any group.
“Nothing will make us yield in our will to fight terrorism. We will further strengthen our actions in Iraq and in Syria. We will continue striking those who attack us on our own soil,” he said, in reference to ISIS.
The French President said on Friday that France’s state of emergency would be extended for another three months after the truck attack which killed at least 84 people and injured 100 more.
Since August 2011, France has insisted that the Syrian president Bashar al Assad must step down and since 2012 it’s thought that France has provided opposition forces with military aid. In August 2013, when the Assad government was accused of using chemical weapons in the Ghouta area near Damascus, Paris called for military intervention.
By the end of September 2015, France began airstrikes in Syria, closely coordinating with the US military. That same year France drafted a UN Security Council resolution urging UN members to “take all necessary measures” in the fight against Islamic State and al-Nusra Front.
Meanwhile, several Muslims are thought to be among the victims of the lorry attack.
Iranian journalist Maryam Violet told the Guardian: “There were so many Muslim people who were victims because I could see they had scarves over their head and some were speaking Arabic. One family lost a mother and in Arabic they were saying she’s a martyr.”
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She added: “People were shouting, ‘It’s a terrorist attack, it’s a terrorist attack,’ it was clear that the driver was doing it deliberately.”
The attacks on Bastille Day are yet to be claimed by any groups, but ISIS has reportedly told supports to “await” confirmation it was behind the massacre, through an announcement by its press agency Amaq.
France has an estimated Muslim population of at least five million – the largest in Western Europe, and there were several Muslim victims among the Paris terror attacks last November.
The Union of Islamic Organizations of France condemned the attack.
It said: “The city of Nice has been the scene of unprecedented mass murder which has plunged us into terror. No justification is acceptable and our only response will be unity and solidarity. We are all grieving and saddened by this terrible ordeal. The attack cowardly and barbaric leaves bereaved families and an entire country ravaged…
“In memory of the victims, the UOIF calls on mosques in France, on this Friday, to address collective prayers for the victims and for our wounded country.”
