Hollande says air strikes against IS in Syria ‘necessary’

French President Francois Hollande, whose country is carrying out surveillance flights over Syria, said Monday it would be “necessary” to carry out air strikes against Islamic State militants there.

 

 

“We announced surveillance flights that would allow us to prepare air strikes if they were necessary, and they will be necessary in Syria,” he told journalists after a meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

 

Hollande said that the fight against Boko Haram and Islamic State jihadists is the same battle after he met Buhari. Buhari, who is on a three-day visit to France seeking support for his battle against Boko Haram, warned the jihadist group had expanded “after declaring its loyalty to IS”.

 

 

He said the jihadists’ alliance, announced in March, had given Boko Haram “a source of material resources”. “We know Boko Haram is linked to Daesh and so receives help, support from this group,” Hollande said, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.

 

 

“To fight Boko Haram is to fight Daesh, and we can no longer single out terrorism according to regions. It is the same terrorism, inspired by the same ideology of death,” the French leader added.

 

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