Germany pledged on Wednesday to stand beside France in its fight against terrorists of the so-called ’Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) takfiri group in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Germany pledged on Wednesday to stand beside France in its fight against terrorists of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group, as French President Francois Hollande prepared to visit Moscow as part of his whirlwind diplomatic tour in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Hollande met his closest EU partner during a week of intense but so far faltering efforts to build a coalition to crush ISIL in Iraq and Syria -- a campaign that has been further complicated by a recent diplomatic spat between Russia and Turkey.
The French president said he hoped Germany "can do even more in the fight against ISIL which claimed responsibility for the killings in Paris.
Merkel in response pledged to act "swiftly" to see how Germany could take on "additional responsibilities" to help in the fight against terrorism.
"We will be stronger than the terror," she said, pledging to stand "at France's side".
France has invoked a clause requiring EU member states to provide military assistance after the November 13 attacks, in which ISIL gunmen and suicide bombers killed 130 people in the French capital.
Germany said Wednesday it would send 650 soldiers to Mali to provide some relief to French forces battling terrorists in the west African nation.
Hollande will head to Moscow on Thursday to press his case for an anti-ISIL alliance to President Vladimir Putin, after receiving few firm commitments from US President Barack Obama.
Meanwhile in Britain, Prime Minister Cameron will on Thursday set out the case for his country to extend its air strikes against ISIL from Iraq into Syria ahead of a vote by MPs next week.
The British premier has called ISIL "direct threat to our security at home and abroad" and on Monday offered to let France use the RAF Akrotiri air base in Cyprus when flying missions against the terrorist groups.
