AP, Paris, 12 Sep 2014 —France prepares possible airstrikes with a U.S.-led coalition against extremists who have seized territory around the region.
French diplomats say Hollande’s visit to Iraq, and a conference Paris is hosting Monday on Iraq, are the first steps in a long-term effort to bolster the Iraqi government and weaken militants from the Islamic State group.
Hollande has been one of the most militarily aggressive leaders in modern French history, sending troops to Mali and Central African Republic.
France was the first European government to start arming Kurdish authorities against Islamic State militants last month.
Hollande is expected to discuss airstrikes with Iraqi authorities during his visit. France is likely to start strikes very soon in coordination with the U.S. if the Iraqi government requests it, but won’t send ground troops, a senior French official said Thursday.
The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to government policy.
The French government — which vigorously opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq a decade ago — insists any action be at the request of the Iraqi government. France does not want to be a pawn or lapdog in a U.S.-run war, but will play a “significant” role in the coalition and make its own decisions on what to contribute, the official said.
Unlike the U.S., France is stopping short of action in Syria, at least for now. The French fear that airstrikes on extremists in Syria could strengthen President Bashar Assad’s hand and raise international legal problems.