Hollande to announce France's stance in fight against IS

Paris, Sep 11 (IANS/EFE) French President Francois Hollande will decide later Thursday whether his country will intervene and fight against the militants of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist group in Syria and Iraq, government spokesperson Stephane Le Foll said.

"You cannot let this terrorist organisation advance," Le Foll said in an interview with the France 2 television channel, referring to the "horrible acts" committed by the IS jihadis such as the recent beheadings of two American journalists.

Le Foll explained that Hollande's message is similar to that of US President Barack Obama, stating that the jihadi movement must be "fought, repelled and destroyed".

After being asked if there would be French military intervention to combat the IS, Le Foll said that Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had already said that the option was "on the table" but the decision was up to Hollande.

The French president is set to travel Friday to Iraq to meet with the new government, while an international conference on security in Iraq opens Monday in Paris.

--IANS/EFE

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