Hundreds of jihadis 'returning to France' from war zones in Iraq and Syria

Up to 271 jihadists have returned to France from war zones in Iraq and Syria, the country's interior minister said in an interview with a French newspaper.

They are being investigated by public prosecutors in France, he added.

Some 700 French nationals are estimated to have fought in Islamic State group ranks in Iraq and Syria, according to Reuters.

The number of jihadis to have returned to France included 217 adults and 54 minors, with some of them currently in detention, Gerard Collomb told Le Journal du Dimanche.

Asked how many French militants had been killed in Iraq and Syria, Collomb said it was difficult to corroborate information.

The head of France's special forces said in June that his units were directly involved in street battles in the Iraqi city of Mosul, but denied they were specifically targeting French-born jihadis fighting for the Islamic State group.

France has participated in a US-led coalition battling IS in Iraq, and it also intervened in Mali to push back an Islamist rebellion in the West African state.

France itself has been targeted by jihadi militants on several occasions in the past few years. Gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in and around Paris in November 2015, and over 100 were killed in other attacks in France in the same period.

Collomb said the threat of militant attacks was "very high", citing two incidents targeting police on Paris' Champs Elysees and seven foiled plots so far this year.

According to Reuters, France has been subject to state of emergency legislation, giving police extended powers since the November 2015 attacks.

The government plans to incorporate some of these measures into ordinary law through a counter-terrorism bill to be put before parliament in the coming months.