France calls fight against Islamic State ‘absolute priority’ during Syria talks

France’s “absolute priority” remains the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday (5 February) during talks with his Syrian counterpart in Damascus, as Paris reassesses its counter-terrorism strategy.

Barrot met Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani as part of a regional tour that will also take him to Iraq later on Thursday and Lebanon on Friday, according to the French foreign ministry.

“For 10 years, France has fought relentlessly and mercilessly against the terrorists of Daesh in Iraq as well as in Syria,” Barrot said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

“I have come to reaffirm this absolute priority of France here in Syria,” he added.

The visit comes weeks after Syrian government forces moved to reassert control over swathes of northeastern Syria, previously overseen by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had been guarding thousands of detained IS fighters and their families.

Analysts say Western officials fear the reconfiguration of security arrangements could create security gaps. They warn this could allow Islamic State militants to regroup or escape, raising concerns about a possible resurgence of the jihadist group.

Until now, the SDF had served as the main on-the-ground partner of the Western-led anti-IS coalition. Under pressure from Damascus, the Kurdish-led force is now set to integrate into the Syrian army, altering the balance of cooperation against IS.

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Al-Sharaa caution

A French diplomatic source said Western powers would need to work with Syria’s government to contain the IS threat but warned of limited trust, citing Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s past as a jihadist.

“This is not the same history, the same reflexes developed together, or the same bonds of trust,” the source said.

Al-Sharaa, who overthrew former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, has sought to consolidate control over the entire country, including Kurdish-held areas in the north and northeast.

Barrot’s discussions in Damascus also covered the integration of Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities into the country’s emerging political order.

France, which has long positioned itself as a defender of Kurdish rights, is expected to press Damascus to honour an agreement announced last week on integrating Kurdish institutions and forces into the Syrian state.

That deal effectively ended Kurdish hopes of preserving the autonomous administration they established during Syria’s civil war, which ravaged the country between 2011 and 2024.

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News Politics France Jean-Noel Barrot Paris Syria SDF Kurdish forces Islamic state Ahmed Al-Sharaa Damascus