Syrian regime troops could help fight Daesh, says French FM

Ground troops are needed to fight Daesh in Syria, which can include forces from the Syrian regime, said French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Friday.

“It is necessary both destroy Daesh and build a political solution in Syria,” Fabius told French radio RTL.

In order to fight Daesh “there must be two measures: strikes … and ground troops who cannot be ours, but who should be of the Free Syrian Army, supported by Sunni Arab forces, and why not regime forces too,” Fabius added.

Asked about the possibility of sending French special forces, Fabius declined to comment, adding that should there be a presence on the ground, it would not be made public.

He said the main military target remained the city of Raqqa, the Daesh stronghold, adding that Russian and French jets have targeted the town in recent days.

“For us, it is one of the main military targets, even the main one, because it is the nerve center of Daesh, and the attacks against France were planned from there,” Fabius said.

The head of French diplomacy said the road map established by the major international and regional powers in Vienna was still valid.

“We must gather the opposition, there must be a unity government, a new constitution and then an election in 18 months,” Fabius said.

However, Fabius insisted the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “can not be the future of his people”.