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France does not rule out sending troops to fight IS: defense minister

09 September 2014 22:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday said dispatching French forces on the ground to fight Islamic State fighters in Iraq was possible as part of the international community efforts to curb terrorism in the region, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Asked by the local broadcaster Europe 1 if Paris intended to send ground troops in the conflict-torn Arab country, Le Drian said: "We'll not state how we are acting; we'll see when it will happen."

"France in the international coalition outlined at the NATO summit last week and it is in the process to take shape," he added.

According to medias reported "nothing was excluded" to quell militants of the Islamic State (IS) which recruited hundreds of young and radicalized French nationals who, local authorities said could pose threat to the country's security once returned home.

Last Friday at a NATO conference, French President Francois Hollande said France is "ready to take action provided there's the political framework and respect for international law."

With the IS controlling major towns in northern Syria and Iraq and forcing thousands of people to flee the conflict, France hoped to host an international gathering on ways to fight the growing risk of the islamists offensive in the region.