France president pledges to send heavy weapons to Iraqi army next month

France would send artillery to Iraqi army as soon as next month to support local forces in their battle against the Islamic State (IS) insurgents, French President Francois Hollande announced on Friday.

"I took the decision as part of the anti-Daesh coalition to make weapons available to Iraqi forces. They will be there next month," he said.

Speaking after hosting a security meeting, the French president also pledged to send Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the region by the end of September.

It will "allow us to intensify strikes against terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq by using our Rafale jets," he added.

Hollande noted the artillery support for the Iraqi forces would not change the nature of France's military operation in the region, ruling out any plan to deploy French troops on the ground.

"We support our allies in Iraq and Syria but we are not deploying ground troops," he stressed.

France was one of the first European countries to join the U.S.-led coalition against IS. Its fighter jets have bombed the group in Iraq since 2014.

After growing terror threats, Paris decided by the end of September 2015 to strike Daesh targets in Syria where hundreds of French nationals have been recruited and could return home to carry out attacks after being trained there.

In a previous interview with a French radio, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the international coalition fighting IS insurgents, targeted to take back by the end of the year Mosul in Iraq and Rekka in Syria, the group's main strongholds in the region. Endit