Iraq premier says France to join airstrikes effort

BAGHDAD (AP) -- France will join the U.S.-led airstrikes targeting extremists in Iraq as part of an expanding international effort to combat the Islamic State group, Iraq's new prime minister said after talks with the French president on Friday.<br /> <br /> Haider al-Abadi's remarks came after talks with Francois Hollande, who was in Baghdad to bolster Iraq's new government as it struggles to unite the nation amid the rampage by the Islamic State group.<br /> <br /> "In order to confront Daesh, we need aerial support from our allies," al-Abadi said, referring to the group by its Arabic acronym. "The French president promised me today that France will participate in this effort, hitting the positions of the terrorists in Iraq."<br /> <br /> Al-Abadi spoke at a joint press conference with Hollande in Baghdad. Neither of the two leaders provided details about when the French could join the aerial campaign.<br /> <br /> Hollande added that France has delivered four arms shipments and 60 metric tons (66 tons) of humanitarian equipment to Iraq.<br /> <br /> Hollande's trip, and a conference that Paris is hosting Monday on Iraq, are the first steps in a long-term effort against Islamic State militants who have captured large swaths of land straddling the Syria-Iraq border with the goal of establishing a self-styled caliphate.

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