PARIS
France's defense minister has refused to rule out sending troops to Iraq as part of an international coalition to fight the Islamic State, saying that the force announced at the NATO summit last week is "taking shape."
Last week, President Francois Hollande announced France would participate in the coalition against the militant group if the Iraqi government requests it and in accordance with international law.
Asked "Will France send military troops?" on Tuesday, Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio: "I can't decline any kind of act for now, we will see when it will happen."
NATO has strongly condemned Islamic State violence in Iraq and Syria. The group, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, has captured large swathes of land in both countries and declared a cross-border caliphate.
Violence has claimed more than 1,400 lives in Iraq in the month of August alone, the insurgency causing 1.2 million Iraqis to flee from their homes.
Speaking to French daily Le Figaro on Tuesday, Le Drian said that France would also participate in solving ongoing problems in Libya.
We must "act in Libya and mobilize the international community" over the situation, the paper reported him as saying.
He said that French military troops in West Africa might have to "climb" to the Libyan borders from the Algerian side.
"This will happen in harmony with the Algerians, who are a major players in the region," he added.
In recent weeks, Libya has been gripped by deep polarization between two active parliaments and governments vying for power.
Since the ouster and killing of autocratic ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libyan authorities have struggled to restore law and order, with many militias that had helped overthrow the strongman refusing to surrender their weapons.
www.aa.com.tr/en
