France unveils plan to stop youths joining jihad

PARIS (AP) — France wants to deter youths from joining the ranks of Islamist militants in Syria’s civil war, and is planning a series of tough-love measures that answer the pleas of parents and seek to protect the nation from battle-hardened returnees.

The measures announced Wednesday include a system for allowing suspicious parents, and perhaps teachers, to tip off authorities. Those suspected of wanting to become a foreign fighter will have their passport withdrawn and their name put in a European security data base.