PARIS, Sept 14: France has decided to step up its battle against the Al Qaeda, the French counter-intelligence official responsible for its “war against terrorism” told the press this week.

Louis Caprioli, who is the anti-terrorism chief at the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), met newsmen this week, marking the first time that the high-level DST official has decided to make public not only his identity but also speak on record with regard to his operation’s future plans.

Mr Caprioli, who has until now been the official most directly involved in the day-to-day surveillance of Al Qaeda and its activities on French soil, said it was important that a distinction be made between French members of Al Qaeda number, he said, was limited to “a few dozen” - and those who simply resided in France, although he would not specify their number, implying simply that they accounted for the lion’s share of terrorist activity within France.

As for the “few dozen” who hold French passports, he said that they had been trained in camps operated by Al Qaeda. He also revealed that the French Al Qaeda operatives “have a great deal of liberty in deciding where their terrorist attacks are to take place, and at what particular moment”.

About Osama bin Laden, a DST source close to Caprioli said the question was moot in his estimation because, as far as the DST was concerned, “the roots of the problem are solidly anchored in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.