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Syria announces capture of French Jihadist

By AFP
May 25, 2018

QAMISHLI, Syria: Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria on Thursday announced the capture of French Jihadist Adrien Guihal, known as the voice that claimed 2016 attacks in France for the Islamic State group.

"The SDF’s intelligence services conducted an operation on May 19 that led to the capture of a group of IS jihadists led by Adrien Guihal, known as Abu Osama al-Faransi," the Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement.

Guihal was thought to be among the most dangerous members of the large French contingent in the ranks of the Islamic State group, whose self-styled "caliphate" spanned huge swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria before collapsing last year.

The Kurdish forces controlling northeastern Syria have detained dozens of French IS members who have gone underground in recent months, including well-known figures such as Thomas Barnouin and Emilie Konig. The SDF statement said Guihal was detained together with his wife, who was not identified.