France fears Iran’s Revolutionary Guard terror listing would fuel crisis

France said on Monday it was worried that designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist group could exacerbate tensions in the region, and appeared to urge Tehran to show restraint. “In the context of regional instability, France is vigilant on any actions that could exacerbate the current crises,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne told…

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Moroccan, French FMs discuss economic, security ties

The foreign ministers of Morocco and France met in Rabat on October 9 to discuss means of promoting bilateral cooperation in the economic, security and cultural arenas. “Talks focused on means of enhancing the relationship between our two countries,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said in a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves…

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Manchester bomber’s Libyan experiences and radicalisation

Manchester bomber Salman Abedi, 22, may have been radicalised through his connections to Libya. His father fled Libya to escape Ghadafi because Abedi senior was connected to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which had tried to assassinate Ghadafi. LIFG was prominently represented at the Muslim-Brotherhood-affiliated Didsbury Mosque which the Abedi family attended. After 9/11,…

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France to invest $47 million in Sahel counterterrorism training program

France plans to invest 42 million euros ($47 million) to help countries of Africa’s Sahel region prepare to face jihadist attacks similar to those that killed dozens in Paris in 2015, an interior ministry official said on Friday. The Sahel, a politically fragile region whose remote desert spaces host a medley of jihadist groups, is…

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Valls considers ban on foreign funding for mosques

The French government is considering banning the foreign financing of mosques as it reshapes its counter-extremism strategy following a fresh wave of terror attacks. Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister, told Le Monde the prohibition would be for an indefinite period but gave no further detail on the policy. “There needs to be a thorough review…

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