PARIS: A government official said France will not order
its expatriates to leave Iraq for now, Xinhua news agency reported.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said French nationals in Iraq had not
been asked to leave Iraq following escalating violence there.
“An instruction to reinforce vigilance has been issued,” Nadal told a daily
press briefing on Friday.
“We will assess the progress of threats with our key partners and inform our
compatriots in real time, and adjust security and protection measures
accordingly,” he said.
Some 317 French citizens are currently in Iraq, where violence had
intensified after militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
seized northern Iraqi city of Mosul earlier this week.
Nadal said France had been in close contact with Iraqi authorities to review
how Europe’s second largest power could help stem violence and fight insurgents
in Iraq.-Bernama