Clashes between Syrian security forces and French “militants” erupted overnight in the Harem area of Idlib in northwestern Syria, reports Al Arabiya.

Syrian security forces have surrounded the camp where the French “militants” are hiding, added the correspondent. According to sources, the operation targeting the camp in Harem is related to Syria’s efforts to extradite French “militants” wanted by its government. The son of a well-known “French extremist” in the camp, known by the alias Jibril al-Muhajir, told AFP that “clashes broke out after midnight and are ongoing.”

Al-Muhajir stated that the French government requested that “two French citizens from this group be handed over” to Syrian authorities. A resident of the Harem area, where the camp is located near the Turkish border, told AFP that he saw government forces bringing reinforcements to the area since Tuesday and heard explosions.

The foreign extremist group Firkatul Guraba is led by Omar Omsen, also known as Omar Diaby, a former Franco-Senegalese criminal turned preacher.

In September 2016, the United States declared Diaby, suspected of smuggling French-speaking fighters into Syria, an “international terrorist.” He is also wanted under a French arrest warrant. French security sources previously told AFP that around 50 people are believed to be part of the militant group.