French mostly favour military involvement in Iraq - poll

The majority of French favour military intervention against Islamic State militants in Iraq, according to an Ifop poll carried out for French Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

The survey showed 59 percent of the 952 people interviewed supported international intervention, whilst 53 percent were in favour of French military involvement.

French jets struck a suspected Islamic State target in Iraq for the first time on Friday, expanding a U.S.-led military campaign against militants who have seized a third of the country and also control large parts of neighbouring Syria.

Two French Rafale fighters carried out a further mission early on Saturday, looking out for possible targets in the northwest Baghdad region, although no strikes were made, the Defence Ministry said.

Washington launched strikes for the first time in August to halt an Islamic State advance on the Kurdish autonomous capital Arbil. Since then it has tried to build an international coalition to destroy the radical Sunni Muslim group, saying more than 40 countries have offered assistance.

The poll was carried out online on Thursday and Friday, Ifop said.