France to join US in air strikes against ISIS

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) “The French president has promised me that his country will participate in the aerial effort against the Islamic State,” Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Friday at a joint conference with Hollande in Baghdad.

Hollande also met Iraqi President Fouad Massoum and discussed military and humanitarian support for the Middle East country which is struggling to regain territories in its north and west from Islamic State (IS) militants.

“We will work with our allies for supporting Iraq in line with international law and legitimacy…We know the seriousness of the threat,” said Hollande, although he did not exactly define how France would support the US airstrikes.

The French leader also emphasized that France was the first country to provide military aid to Iraq and was in the process of delivering its fourth shipment. Exact details are expected to be released at Monday’s conference in Paris where Hollande intends to tackle the IS’ financing and recruiting, improving border controls and training the Iraqi army.