Terrorism in France

Terrorism in France
Part of the Opération Sentinelle, War on terror, Islamic terrorism in Europe

Site of the 2016 Nice truck attack, the following day.
Date15 September 1958 – present
Location
Status

Ongoing

Belligerents

Government of France

Islamic State Islamic State

Al-Qaeda European militias

Jihadism (Islamic terrorism) and Antisemitism

Commanders and leaders

France Emmanuel Macron
(President 2017–present)
France Élisabeth Borne
(Prime Minister 2022–present)
France Gérald Darmanin
(Minister of the Interior 2020–present)
Sébastien Lecornu
(Minister of the Armed Forces 2022–present)
Thierry Burkhard
(Chief of the Defence Staff 2021–present)
Pierre Schill
(Chief of the Army Staff 2021–present)
Pierre Vandier
(Chief of the Naval Staff 2020–present)
Stéphane Mille
(Chief of the Air and Space Force Staff 2021–present)

Unknown
Strength
Unknown
ISIL:
  • 200,000 in Iraq and Syria (claim by Iraqi Kurdistan Chief of Staff)[1]
  • 28,600–31,600 in Iraq and Syria (Defense Department estimate)[2]
  • 35,000–100,000 (State Department estimate)[3]
  • 1,500+ in Egypt
  • 6,500–10,000 in Libya[4]
  • 7,000–10,000 in Nigeria[5]
  • 1,000–3,000 in Afghanistan[6][7]
  • At least 400 in the Philippines and Malaysia
  • Up to 600 tanks[8][9]
Casualties and losses
Unknown
Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant:
    • 80,000+ killed[10] and 33,000+ targets destroyed or damaged in the American-led intervention in Iraq and Syria[11]
    • 1,500–2,500 killed in Libya[12][13]
    • 974 killed in Philippines
    • 300 killed in Afghanistan[14]
    • 1,000+ killed in Egypt[15][16][17]
Unknown

Terrorism in France refers to the terrorist attacks that have targeted the country and its population during the 20th and 21st centuries. Terrorism, in this case is much related to the country's history, international affairs and political approach. Legislation has been set up by lawmakers to fight terrorism in France.

CBC News reported in December 2018 that the number of people killed in terrorist attacks in France since 2015 was 249, with the number of wounded at 928.[18] Within the European Union, France is the most affected country with recent data showcasing a total of 82 Islamist attacks and 332 deaths from 1979 to 2021.[19]

Terrorist incidents map of France 1970–2015. Paris, Corsica and southwestern France are major places of incidents. A total of 2,616 incidents are plotted.
Terrorism deaths in France recorded in the Global Terrorism Database. The spike in 2015 is over 6 times the previous maximum since 1970 and is indicated by a number off the scale.
  1. ^ "ISIS militants have army of 200,000, claims senior Kurdish leader". ElBalad. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Operation Inherent Resolve and other overseas contigency operations" (PDF). media.defense.gov. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Briefing With Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS Ambassador James Jeffrey". state.gov. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  4. ^ "U.S. Bombing in Libya Reveals Limits of Strategy Against ISIS". The New York Times. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. ^ "How Big Is Boko Haram?". 2 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Islamic State group loyalists eye a presence in Afghanistan". Associated Press. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  7. ^ "US 'tracking closely' ISIL threat in Afghanistan". Al Jazeera. 18 December 2015.
  8. ^ "U.S.-led forces drop nearly 5,000 bombs on ISIS". Al Arabiya. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  9. ^ "Fears of massacre as Isis tanks lead assault on Kurdish bastion". The Times. 4 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Once promised paradise, ISIS fighters end up in mass graves". The Straits Times. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  11. ^ "The Global Coalition – Working To Defeat ISIS". US Department of State. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  12. ^ "SpecOps Commander: 60,000 ISIS Fighters Killed by US Troops". military.com. 14 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Al-Ghasri: 2500 IS radicals were killed in Sirte battle". Libya Observer. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  14. ^ "U.S. says 300 Islamic State fighters killed in Afghan operation". Reuters. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  15. ^ Stephen, Chris; Malsin, Jared (17 February 2015). "Egyptian air strikes in Libya kill dozens of Isis militants". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  16. ^ "SIRTE, Libya: Islamic State fighting in Libya's Sirte claims at least 19 lives – Middle East – McClatchy DC". McClatchy DC. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  17. ^ "US jets target senior IS leader in attack on Libya camp". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  18. ^ Jonathon Gatehouse (12 December 2018). "By the numbers: France's battle against terror". CBC News. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Islamist Terrorist Attacks in the World 1979-2021". Fondapol. Retrieved 7 November 2021.