France to continue striking IS in Iraq despite kidnapping of citizen

Manuel Valls, France's new prime minister has said that his country will resume fight against the Islamic State militants despite the kidnapping of a citizen by jihadists in Algeria.

French mountain guide Herve Gourdel, 55, was abducted on Monday by IS supporters, who are threatening to behead him unless France stops its offensive against the group.

Valls said on Tuesday on Europe 1 radio that French authorities are "doing everything" to try to free the hostage, but won't negotiate with his captors, News 24 reports.

The Prime Minister added that if France ceded, it would mean handing over victory to the militants.

Earlier, jihadists released a new video online showing two masked and armed militants with French national Herve Gourdel.

One of the militants representing the IS fighters in Algeria said in the video that the group was responding to the message of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his spokesperson.

The militant further said that French President Francois Hollande, the head of the French criminal government, had 24 hours to stop its offensive against the Islamic State or witness the beheading of Gourdel.