Germany has already signaled that it will send up to 650 additional soldiers to Mali to provide relief to the French and raise the number of army trainers for Kurdish peshmerga fighters operating in northern Iraq by up to 150.
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Even so, he suggested, Germany could set aside military restraint and “engage even more in the fight against Isis in Syria and in Iraq”.
At a joint press conference after their meeting, Merkel promised to act “swiftly” in the fight against terrorism, Deutsche Welle quotes her as saying. “It’s our mission, our duty”.
“I think this is a good proposal and tomorrow president Hollande will talk to us in greater detail about it. We would be ready to seriously consider the necessary measures for this”, Lavrov said in Moscow.
During debates about the motion, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said France would “fight ruthlessly until it reaches its goal: the destruction of our enemy Daesh (Islamic State)”.
Belgian government minister says that the security forces staged a series of raids late Sunday to avoid an imminent attack in Brussels.
The names of at least three of the ISIS terrorists who carried out this month’s deadly attacks in Paris were known to the mayor of a Brussels suburb in early 2014, it was revealed this week.
Since Nov. 13 and the subsequent terror raids in search of those connected with the attacks, Belgium has been on the highest level of security alert. Brahim Abdeslam blew himself up in front of a Paris cafe, and Salah Abdeslam is believed to have been another potential bomber but escaped the scene.
Speaking on RTL radio, Mohamed Abdeslam said he shares the pain of victims’ families and wishes he and his family could have done something to prevent the November 13 bloodshed.
Belgian authorities have lowered their threat alert to the second-highest level in Brussels, the capital, calling a threat “possible and likely”.
Matthieu Mauduit, whose brother Cedric was killed in the Bataclan concert hall, said in a Facebook post he would not be attending the commemoration ceremony although he was not calling for a boycott.
The reconnaissance aircrafts will also support France in its fight against Islamist extremists.
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The developments came as France and America pledged to “intensify airstrikes” against Isil in Syria and Iraq and “widen their scope” as President Barack Obama declared: “Nous sommes tous français” in the wake of the Paris attacks. Yet schools and subways began reopening yesterday, despite the hunt continuing for Abdeslam and another suspect named as Mohamed Abrini, 30, seen driving a auto with Abdeslam two days before the atrocities. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said the government had also agreed to provide satellite surveillance.
