France unlikely to follow Germany, Netherlands on military activities in Iraq

The French army has no plans at this point to suspend military training activities in Iraq, a source close to the French Defence ministry told Reuters on Wednesday. "There is no change regarding the French engagement at this time," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

France currently employs 300 military training staff in Iraq. Germany and the Netherlands said on Wednesday they were suspending military training in Iraq as the United States warned of increased threats from Iran-backed forces amid an escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran. The U.S. State Department has ordered the pullout of some employees from both its embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil.

(With inputs from agencies.)