France Has No Plans to Pull Troops from Iraq: Govt Source

Paris, Jan 7 (AFP) France has "no intention" of withdrawing its troops from Iraq, a French government source confirmed on Tuesday, as tensions soar over the US killing of a top Iranian general in Baghdad.

France has contributed around 200 soldiers to the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group (IS), of whom 160 are tasked with training Iraqi military personnel, according to the defence ministry.

"Since Friday we have reinforced security for our French soldiers deployed in Iraq," Defence Minister Florence Parly tweeted Tuesday.

"The priority today is the same as it was yesterday and should be tomorrow: the fight against Daesh and its resurgence on the ground in the Middle East, and its propaganda on the internet," Parly added, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The government source confirmed to AFP that there were no plans for a French pullout. But the coalition's future in Iraq is uncertain after US President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran's foreign military operations, in Baghdad last Friday.

Adding to the confusion were reports that an American general had mistakenly informed the Iraqi government that his troops were preparing to leave, requiring a hasty clarification from the Pentagon.

Germany on Tuesday said it had temporarily withdrawn some of its troops deployed as part of the anti-IS coalition in Iraq, and NATO said it is taking "some personnel" out of the country because of increased risks to their safety.

Overall, France has around 1,000 soldiers across the Middle East as part of Operation Chammal, the French component of the anti-IS coalition. (AFP)

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