France to continue operations in Iraq despite IS threat

Paris, Sep 23 (IANS/EFE) French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Tuesday France will continue its military intervention in Iraq despite the threat by the Jund al-Khilafah group, linked to the Islamic State (IS), to kill a French hostage in Algeria.

"France is a great nation that fully assumes its responsibilities," Valls said to Europe 1 radio in Berlin, where he is on an official visit.

The head of the French government argued that there will be "no negotiation or discussion" with terrorists, and stressed that the country will act in coordination with Algerian authorities in order to free the French hostage.

Mountain guide Herve Gourdel, 55, was kidnapped last Sunday in Algeria's Kabylia region, 100 km east of Algiers.

In a video posted on the internet Monday, the extremists threatened to kill him within 24 hours if France did not stop its offensive in Iraq.

Valls said Tuesday although there was concern about the fate of Gourdel, France would never give in to blackmail.

The prime minister, who would Wednesday appear at the French National Assembly to defend his decision to intervene in Iraq, also made it clear that "France cannot be afraid of those who threaten it".

--IANS/EFE

ab/bg