Opération Sentinelle

Opération Sentinelle
Part of Vigipirate
Location	France
Planned by	Ministry of Armed Forces
Objective	Dealing with the terrorist threat and protect the sensitive "points" on land
Date	12 January 2015 (2015-01-12) – present

Opération Sentinelle is an ongoing French military operation with 10,000 soldiers and 4,700 police and gendarmes deployed^[1] since the aftermath of the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks, with the objective of protecting the deemed sensitive "points" of the territory from terrorism. It was reinforced during the November 2015 Paris attacks, and is part of a state of emergency in France due to continued terror threats and attacks,^[2][3] until the state of emergency ended on 1 November 2017.^[4] On 13 October 2023, France raised its security alert to the highest level, and the day after it deployed 7,000 soldiers following the Arras school stabbing.^[5]

Background

Opération Sentinelle was first deployed after the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks, and was reinforced following the November 2015 Paris attacks, attacks which were claimed to have been perpetrated by the Islamic extremist groups Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. A number of other attacks have taken place in France since these attacks.^[3]

Other European countries have also deployed soldiers to protect certain areas due to terror threats or attacks, including in Belgium,^[6] Italy,^[7] and the United Kingdom.^[8]

Attacks against soldiers

On at least six occasions, soldiers involved in the nationwide operation have themselves been targeted.^[3]

Soldiers deployed under Opération Sentinelle on 3 February 2017 blocked the assailant in the Louvre machete attack from entering the museum, where he claims to have intended to deface art with spray paint as a symbolic attack on France; he attacked the patrolling soldiers with a machete.^[9]

In the March 2017 Île-de-France attacks, two Opération Sentinelle soldiers at Orly Airport killed a man who said "I am here to die for Allah"^[10] while he beat to the floor another member of their team, a soldier from whom the attacker intended to steal her assault rifle.

On 9 August 2017 in the Levallois-Perret attack, six soldiers of the 35th Infantry Regiment^[11] participating in Opération Sentinelle were intentionally wounded by an automobile whose driver fled.^[12] The military were unable to make an armed response in time.^[13]

See also

• Operation Vigilant Guardian – Belgian equivalent
• Operation Temperer – British equivalent
• Sentinelle 2021 Film

References

1. Willsher, Kim (9 August 2017). "French police search home of man suspected of driving into soldiers". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
2. "Suspect in hit-and-run on French soldiers unknown to spy agencies: source". Business Insider. Reuters. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
3. Patel-Carstairs, Sunita (9 August 2017). "Man held after terror attack on French soldiers". Sky News. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
4. Hartmann, Christian (1 November 2017). "Two years after the Paris attacks, France ends state of emergency". Reuters. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
5. https://www.france24.com/en/france/20231014-france-to-deploy-7-000-soldiers-after-teacher-s-fatal-stabbing
6. "Belgium deploys army as Europe remains on high alert". France24. 17 January 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
7. "Italy deploys soldiers to guard against terror attacks". Reuters. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
8. "What is Operation Temperer: Theresa May becomes first PM to deploy up to 5,000 soldiers on streets". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
9. Rios, Michael (3 February 2017). "2017Louvre Museum attacker in life-threatening condition, French prosecutor says". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
10. "Last words of Paris attacker: I am here to die for Allah". CBC.
11. "Militaires renversés à Levallois: un suspect interpellé". 9 August 2017 – via www.la-croix.com.
12. "Militaires blessés à Levallois-Perret : le suspect identifié". La Croix. 9 August 2017 – via www.la-croix.com.
13. "Attaque contre des militaires à Levallois-Perret : Emmanuel Macron félicite les "forces de l'ordre qui ont appréhendé l'auteur de l'attaque"". 9 August 2017.

External links

• Chrisafis, Angelique (15 April 2016). "Thousands of troops on Paris streets but are they France's new Maginot line?". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
• McAuley, James (4 June 2016). "In France, are soldiers outside the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre really worth it?". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 February 2017.