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Syria war: France to prepare for IS air strikes | |
(35 minutes later) | |
President Francois Hollande has ordered preparations to begin for air strikes on Islamic State militants in Syria. | |
He said France would start reconnaissance flights on Tuesday with a view to launching attacks on the group. | |
Speaking at his bi-annual news conference in Paris, Mr Hollande ruled out sending troops on the ground. | |
The UN says more than 220,000 people have been killed and more than nine million displaced in the war in Syria. | |
Mr Hollande said terror attacks had been planned from Syria against several countries, including France. | |
"My responsibility is to ensure that we are informed as much as possible on the threats to our country," he said. | |
"So I have asked the defence minister that from tomorrow reconnaissance flights begin over Syria that will enable us to consider air strikes against Islamic State." | |
IS militants have made significant gains on the ground in Syria as one of the groups in the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, and have also been fighting other rebels. | |
They have also captured large areas of territory in Iraq. |