France to continue IS strikes ‘for as long as needed’
France will not, however, deploy ground troops to the region, he said in a speech to the French parliament.
"This military commitment has taken the form of aerial operations over Iraqi territory. We will not however deploy French ground troops. We will stay committed, however, for as long as is needed for the Iraqi army to gain the upper hand over Daesh," he told French MPs, using an alternative name used by the French government for the Islamic State group.
French fighter jets began bombing Islamic State targets in northeast Iraq on Friday, joining US and Iraqi forces in attacking the Islamic militants with air assaults.
President François Hollande had said the strikes were in support of Iraqi troops on the ground and at the request of leaders in Baghdad. He ruled out, however, joining the US on striking IS targets in Syria, where the organisation also controls large swathes of territory.
No cooperation with Assad
Valls warned on Wednesday that France’s participation in military action against IS was vital for its national security.
“France is assuming its responsibilities because it is a permanent member if the UN Security Council, because Europe is being threatened, because our national security is at stake more than it has ever been in recent years,” he said.
Nevertheless, Valls ruled out cooperating with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the fight against IS, with France and other Western states supporting opposition forces battling to overthrow the Syrian leader’s regime.
Assad “can absolutely not be a partner in the battle” against IS, said Valls.
“We have made the choice to concentrate on Iraq and to continue to support the moderate opposition to the Assad regime,” he added.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
