PARIS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- French Defense Minsiter Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday said a military offensive to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul, a stronghold of Islamic State (IS), will start soon.
"The battle for Mosul has not started yet, but there will soon be a major attack," Le Drian was quoted as saying by local media.
During a visit to a naval shipyard in northwestern France, French minister added that the Rafale warplanes mission in Iraq was "an extension of support for the coalition."
Earlier on Friday, eight Rafal fighter jets took off from a carrier in the eastern Mediterranean. It was not clear whether the French jets were to carry out air strikes or if they were on a reconnaissance mission.
A day earlier, the United States raised the number of troops in Iraq to more than 5,000 in order to provide air support and training to the Iraqi forces.
In a previous interview with French radio, the Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said the international coalition fighting IS insurgents aimed to retake Mosul in Iraq and Rekka in Syria by end of the year.
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.
