(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday told French radio that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) radicals resembled more of an army than a terrorist group, warning the coalition operation against ISIL will be a long one.
"We could almost say this is no longer a group, it is almost a terrorist army," Le Drian told "RTL" radio here.
The Defence Minister said that he estimated the number of ISIL fighters at around 30,000 men, which would have to be first stopped and then overcome.
"The operation will be long... because we have to firstly stop Daash. Then will come the period of winning back (territory), which will be done on the ground by the Iraqis and Peshmergas," he said.
France has committed nine fighter bombers to the operation in Iraq but has not carried out any raids against Daash targets in Syria, only two so far in Iraq. France has declined to operate in Syria as Paris does not want to take any action that would help prop up the Damascus regime.
Le Drian also stressed that France was fully supporting the moderate Syrian opposition, which is fighting both Daash and the government of Bashar Al-Assad.
The French are operating out of their base in the UAE, where they have about 1,000 personnel stationed, of which 350 to 370 are involved in the Iraq operations.
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