France to 'step up' military operations against ISIS in Iraq

France is ready to boost military operations against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Iraq, President Francois Hollande said yesterday.

Hollande made the remarks during a joint press conference held at the Elysee Palace with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi who arrived in Paris on a short visit with a delegation that included the ministers of defence, foreign affairs and immigration and the commander of the Iraqi air force.

France was ready “to step up actions” against Islamic State militants in Iraq with the international coalition led by the United States, noting that his country will “continue to provide military support to Iraq, which is the victim of a large-scale terrorist attack”.

He commended the military and political achievements of the Iraqi government through the reconciliation and integration of Sunni tribes.

Al-Abadi appealed for help in training his military and reconstructing towns and cities that Iraq hopes to wrest from ISIS’ control.

“We are in the process of freeing all our land that was occupied” and “we think this liberation is not far off.”

“Today, there is more optimism and more hope that Iraq can be a single country, a single people,” he added.

However, he warned that the recent dramatic drop in oil prices was having “negative consequences for our budget” and appealed for “reconstruction aid”.

“Terrorism is preying today on poverty and people’s dissatisfaction over the economic situation,” he said.